Isolation of Cellulose Nanocrystals from Various Lignocellulosic Materials: Physico-chemical characterization and Application in Polymer Composites Development

Abstract

In recent years, much attention has been given to biopolymers with a focus on sustainable development and environmental preservation. Following this tendency, the attempt has been made to replace polymers derived from petroleum with superior biodegradable polymers; nevertheless, some of their physicochemical properties are required to be improved. Therefore, the addition of renewable source-derived fillers into biopolymer matrix allows us the possibility of producing novel nanostructured bio-nanocomposite materials with specific functional and structural properties. The aim of this study is to develop bio-composite films based on biopolymer matrices and reinforced with cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) using the solution casting method.In this work, the CNC were extracted from various lignocellulosic materials (sugarcane bagasse fibers, alfa fibers and red algae waste) via sulfuric acid hydrolysis and then characterized. The as-extracted CNC were used as a nano-reinforcing filler to produce a variety of bio-composite films, using various polymermatrices. Then, the optical transparency, thermal stability, and mechanical properties of all prepared bio-composite films were evaluated and discussed. The high performances of these bio-composite films are expected to have potential in biomaterials or packaging applications.