Recent developments of the nanocellulose extraction from water hyacinth: a review

Abstract

Nanocellulose, an exceptional natural material acquired from cellulose, has received tremendous attention over the past decades. This is because of its unique physical characteristics, surface chemistry, functional properties, and biocompatibility. Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) and cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) are two major types of nanocellulose that have received key interest so far. Nanocellulose is commercially produced from wood-based sources. With the ongoing demand for nanocellulose, agricultural wastes and non-woody plants are getting much consideration as cost-efficient alternatives. Water hyacinth (WH) is an alternative source that has shown great prospects for CNC and CNF fabrication. Nanocellulose from WH is proposed for several interesting applications, such as wet-spun filaments, aerogels, packaging films, battery separators, and water filtration, showing promising results. Studies have shown the nanocellulose achieved from WH has a comparable diameter and crystallinity related to the nanocellulose derived from other agricultural wastes, but lower than nanocellulose extracted from wood. Studies were more inclined towards chemical treatments for CNC extraction and mechanical processes for CNF isolation. This review aims to emphasize identifying the true potential of WH as a nanocellulose resource by critical evaluation of the isolation processes, affecting factors on nanocellulose properties, and the foundation of future research for producing sustainable materials. It was perceived that a lot of possibilities remain unexplored as many advanced techniques are yet not well studied for WH nanocellulose extraction. Further, the advantage of being a low-lignin raw material was not properly captured by mapping the more sustainable procedures, which should be a future highlight of WH research. Graphical abstract

A review of nanocellulose modification and compatibility barrier for various applications

“…91 This method involves grinding, chopping or milling lignocellulosic biomass to produce smaller particle sizes, preparing the lignocellulosic material for a more effective chemical pretreatment process. 107 Although no chemicals are used during the physical treatment of nanocellulose, factors such as temperature, pressure, feedstock type, and retention time are significantly important because they could influence their outcomes. 18,91,108 On the other hand, chemical pretreatment weakens intermolecular bonds and removes excess wax, lignin, and hemicellulose present in the lignocellulosic material.…”

A Biomimetic Lignocellulose Aerogel-Based Membrane for Efficient Phenol Extraction from Water

“…As green materials, cellulose and lignin of aquatic plant origin have the advantages of being environmentally friendly and sustainable, and they are often used to make separators or adsorbents [1]. However, the sorption performance and extraction concentration efficiency of cellulose and lignin materials are low, and there is an upper limit to the improvements in performance that can be achieved by simply relying on derivatives or changing their presentation [2,3].…”

Cellulose Nanocrystals and Lignin Nanoparticles Extraction from Lemna minor L.: Acid Hydrolysis of Bleached and Ionic Liquid-Treated Biomass

“…In addition, this species can absorb many different substances from its aquatic environment, including essential nutrients, such as nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and also toxic elements [14]. The contents of cellulose, hemicelluloses, lignin, and available proteins can play a vital role in the plant's capacity to absorb metal trace elements (MTEs) and other water pollutants [15,16]. It has been demonstrated that aquatic plants can efficiently remove MTEs from aqueous solutions [17].…”