Abstract
Hydrothermal treatment of wood pulp at 150–225°C prior to acid hydrolysis was investigated in the context of isolating cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs). The objective was 2-folds as follows: (a) generating furfural as a value–added co–product; and (b) concentrating and forming new CNC precursors through thermal re–orientation of para–crystalline cellulose chains that will in turn improve CNC recovery and yield. Furfural yields up to 19 and 21% xylan conversion were obtained at 200 and 225°C hydrothermal treatments, respectively. In addition, these hydrothermal treatment conditions increased the crystallinity index of the pulp (77%) to 84 and 80%, respectively. Consequently, the CNC yield from hydrothermally treated wood pulp, when compared to untreated wood pulp, improved by up to 4- and 2-folds, respectively. An efficient acid hydrolysis process with yield improvements can translate to reduced CNC isolation and purification costs and increased production capacity. The qualities of the CNCs in terms of particle size and crystallinity were not affected due to hydrothermal treatment. However, the zeta potential, sulfur, hydrogen, and oxygen content of the CNCs were significantly lower at 225°C while carbon composition increased, and dark brown coloration was observed that indicates caramelization. This study demonstrates for the first time a novel biorefinery strategy that introduces hydrothermal treatment prior to acid hydrolysis to co–generate furfural and CNC with improved efficiency.
Highlights
The pulp and paper industry plays an integral role to the economy of countries that have abundant forestry resource in North America, Northern Europe, East Asia, and South America (Bajpai, 2016)
To determine whether hydrothermal treatment could be successfully introduced into a biorefining platform for co– production of furfural and Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs), square cut wood pulp was hydrothermally treated at 150–225◦C for 1 h
A novel biorefinery strategy that introduces hydrothermal treatment prior to acid hydrolysis was developed. This is the first demonstration of a pathway that co–produces furfural along with CNC from wood pulp feedstock
Summary
The pulp and paper industry plays an integral role to the economy of countries that have abundant forestry resource in North America, Northern Europe, East Asia, and South America (Bajpai, 2016). Hydrothermally-Mediated Furfural and CNC Co-generation nanoparticles derived from cellulose with desirable reinforcement, rheological, absorbant, and barrier properties for various applications These particles represent highly ordered crystalline cellulose reduced to nanoscale length (100–200 nm) and width (5–20 nm) (Ngo et al, 2018). CNCs have potential application as biodegradable and renewable reinforcement fillers for composite materials used in automotive, construction and food packaging industries (Fortunati et al, 2012a; Kaboorani et al, 2012; Cao et al, 2015; Kong et al, 2016) Their shear thinning, optical iridescence, high absorbance, high surface area (for grafting), oxygen and water barrier properties are attractive for application in products used in aviation, pharmaceutical, food, cosmetics, paint, and film industries (De Souza Lima and Borsali, 2004; Shopsowitz et al, 2010; Boluk and Zhao, 2012; Chen et al, 2012; Fortunati et al, 2012b; Batmaz et al, 2014; Pereira et al, 2014; Hu et al, 2015; Jin et al, 2015; Li et al, 2016; Panchal and Mekonnen, 2019)
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