Production and Modification of Cellulose Nanocrystals fromAgave tequilanaWeber Waste and Its Effect on the Melt Rheology of PLA

Abstract

The production and surface modification of cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) from Agave tequilana Weber waste (ATW) and their effect on the melt rheology of PLA were investigated. For that, CNC were obtained from ATW residues by acid hydrolysis and grafted with 2-ethyl hexyl acrylate (2-EHA) to promote compatibility with nonpolar polymers, such as PLA. The morphology of CNC occurred as rods, spheres, and the so-called porous network observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and electron transmission microscopy (TEM), and the crystallinity of the cellulose fibers was ~73% and increased up to ~94% for CNC followed by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The acid hydrolysis and alkali extraction process produce changes on the native cellulose type I from ATW bagasse resulting in a mixture of cellulose type I and II and was preserved after CNC isolation and surface grafting. Polymer grafting was assessed using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray electron spectroscopy (XPS). Upon surface modification, the grafted CNC presented better thermal stability than CNC pristine evaluated by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and the surface energy of the CNC was decreased which could promote CNC dispersion within polymers. Both pristine and surface modified CNC were melt mixed with PLA to produce nanocomposites at different concentrations of CNC. Dynamic time sweep tests showed that the introduction of CNC and CNC/2-EHA decreased the complex viscosity of PLA due to polymer degradation during compounding.

Synthesis and chemical modification of crystalline nanocellulose to reinforce natural rubber composites

“…As a result, MCNC particles are obtained with a nanometric dimension, in the range of 60 to 70 nm (Figure 4B). 37‐39 Consequently, the average aspect ratio of MCNC particles is reduced to 1.21 from 1.79 found for unmodified CNC particles.…”

“…Morphology of the CNC and APTES-modified CNC was examined via field emission electron microscopy (FESEM), and presented in Figure 4B). [38][39][40] Consequently, the average aspect ratio of MCNC particles is reduced to 1.21 from 1.79 found for unmodified CNC particles.…”

Optimization of the Obtaining of Cellulose Nanocrystals from Agave tequilana Weber Var. Azul Bagasse by Acid Hydrolysis

“…Extensive effort has focused on the comprehensive exploitation of A. tequilana bagasse in the last decade. Many studies point to the high cellulose content of A. tequilana bagasse, close to 80% [ 27 , 28 ], as the main source for the production of high-added value sub-products, such as cellulose nanocrystals [ 29 ].…”

Nanocellulose as a sustainable material for water purification

“…[78][79][80][81][82][83][84][85] Agave bagasse was found to be an abundant source of this lignocellulosic biomass. [86][87][88] Agave has recently been explored for the production of cellulosic nanocrystals and nanofibers. [43,[89][90][91] Hinestroza et al, [43] prepared electrospun, organic membranes from CNFs obtained from agave bagasse fibers, and polycaprolactone (PCL), mixing both at different v/v ratios (denoted by PCL80:CNF20, PCL60:CNF40, PCL50:CNF50).…”