Towards the scalable isolation of cellulose nanocrystals from tunicates

Abstract

In order for sustainable nanomaterials such as cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) to be utilized in industrial applications, a large-scale production capacity for CNCs must exist. Currently the only CNCs available commercially in kilogram scale are obtained from wood pulp (W-CNCs). Scaling the production capacity of W-CNCs isolation has led to their use in broader applications and captured the interest of researchers, industries and governments alike. Another source of CNCs with potential for commercial scale production are tunicates, a species of marine animal. Tunicate derived CNCs (T-CNCs) are a high aspect ratio CNC, which can complement commercially available W-CNCs in the growing global CNC market. Herein we report the isolation and characterization of T-CNCs from the tunicate Styela clava, an invasive species currently causing significant harm to local aquaculture communities. The reported procedure utilizes scalable CNC processing techniques and is based on our experiences from laboratory scale T-CNC isolation and pilot scale W-CNC isolation. To our best knowledge, this study represents the largest scale where T-CNCs have been isolated from any tunicate species, under any reaction conditions. Demonstrating a significant step towards commercial scale isolation of T-CNCs, and offering a potential solution to the numerous challenges which invasive tunicates pose to global aquaculture communities.

Isolation and Characterization of Polysaccharides from the Ascidian Styela clava

“…These results align with previous works reporting values of 89% [ 40 ] and 70% [ 46 ] in cellulose from Styela clava . The final 2.5 g of nanocrystalline cellulose obtained represented a 17% yield considering the dry weight of tunic, slightly higher than 12.2% previously reported in the same species [ 41 ]. This highlights the feasibility of S. clava as a source of nanocellulose, with improvement in yield possible through process optimization.…”

Scaled Synthesis of Polyamine-Modified Cellulose Nanocrystals from Bulk Cotton and Their Use for Capturing Volatile Organic Compounds

“…The natural source of the cellulose used to generate the commercial CNC samples that were analyzed in this study was not disclosed by the manufacturer, but it is likely that that it did not originate from cotton. Rather, wood pulp is the most common commercial source of cellulose nanocrystals [ 18 ]. We have noted previously that the primary natural source of cellulose micro and nanocrystals can dramatically affect the structural parameters of the resulting isolates in terms of overall morphology, surface area, porosity, and crystallinity [ 26 ].…”

“…More specifically, polyamine-decorated cellulose materials and related formulations have been explored for a number of environmental applications related to wastewater including the removal of anionic dyes [ 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 ], metal ions [ 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 ], and other environmental contaminants [ 16 , 17 ]. Despite the utility of nanocellulose for such applications, there are currently rather few raw material sources—wood pulp and marine tunicates—that provide access to CNCs at the kilogram scale [ 18 ].…”

Polylactic Acid Cellulose Nanocomposite Films Comprised of Wood and Tunicate CNCs Modified with Tannic Acid and Octadecylamine

“…Wood-and tunicate-derived sulfuric acid-hydrolyzed CNCs were prepared by our previously established protocols [25]. Both the W-CNCs and T-CNCs display shear birefringence with no observed flocculation or aggregation.…”

“…Although solvent casting necessitates solvent removal, which is costly, slow, and often incomplete, this technique allows for the organization of CNCs in the dispersion into ordered structured domains arising from particle-particle interactions between CNCs [18,25]. Tensile testing can provide some insight to this structure, as well as the interactions between CNCs and PLA.…”