Nanocellulose from agricultural waste as an emerging material for nanotechnology applications – an overview

Abstract

It has been shown that in the last decades nanotechnology plays a key role not only in science but more and more often in industry as well. Recent research has shown that agricultural waste is a possible feedstock to produce nanocellulose which can be used for different applications, such as a biosensor, semiconductor and reinforcing agent. The use of agro-waste as a precursor not only offers advantages for raw material costs, but also for the climate, low processing costs, availability and convenience. It also helps to address environmental issues, such as illness, foul odor and concerns with indoor use. Different processes, such as chemical treatment, mechanical treatment and chemo-mechanical treatment, have been used to extract nanocellulose from agro-waste. This article highlights the latest technologies used to acquire agro-waste nanocellulose, as well as existing advances in and applications of nanocellulose technologies.