Chapter 9 - Nanocelluloses From Sugarcane Biomass

Abstract

Sugarcane bagasse is one of the most abundant agro-industrial residues in the world. Therefore, it is a potential renewable resource for the production of high-value products, such as nanocelluloses—cellulose particles having at least one of their dimensions less than 100nm. Two types of nanocelluloses can be produced from plant biomass, cellulose nanocrystals and cellulose nanofibrils. Over the last decade, their unique properties have been attracting increasing attention worldwide for application in many different sectors (i.e., pharmaceutical, electronic, construction, automotive, and aerospace). However, the properties of nanocelluloses are highly dependent on the methods used for the isolation of the cellulose, and the subsequent methods used for nanocellulose production. In this chapter, a brief overview is presented on the methods suitable for the isolation of sugarcane bagasse cellulose and nanocellulose production, followed by a discussion and comparison of the main characteristics of sugarcane nanocelluloses.