Abstract
High-grade cellulose (97% α-cellulose content) of 48% crystallinity index was extracted from the renewable marine biomass waste Posidonia oceanica using H2O2 and organic peracids following an environmentally friendly and chlorine-free process. This cellulose appeared as a new high-grade cellulose of waste origin quite similar to the high-grade cellulose extracted from more noble starting materials like wood and cotton linters. The benefits of α-cellulose recovery from P. oceanica were enhanced by its transformation into cellulose acetate CA and cellulose derivative GMA-C. Fully acetylated CA was prepared by conventional acetylation method and easily transformed into a transparent film. GMA-C with a molar substitution (MS) of 0.72 was produced by quenching Fenton’s reagent (H2O2/FeSO4) generated cellulose radicals with GMA. GMA grafting endowed high-grade cellulose from Posidonia with adsorption capability. GMA-C removes β-naphthol from water with an efficiency of 47%, as measured by UV-Vis spectroscopy. After hydrolysis of the glycidyl group to glycerol group, the modified GMA-C was able to remove p-nitrophenol from water with an efficiency of 92%, as measured by UV-Vis spectroscopy. α-cellulose and GMA-Cs from Posidonia waste can be considered as new materials of potential industrial and environmental interest.
Highlights
In the Mediterranean Sea Posidonia oceanica is the dominant seagrass covering about 50,000 km2 of coastal sandy areas [1]
glycidyl methacrylate (GMA)-C was able to remove p-nitrophenol from water with an efficiency of 92%, as measured by UV-Vis spectroscopy. α-cellulose and GMA-Cs from Posidonia waste can be considered as new materials of potential industrial and environmental interest
Cellulose extracted from P. oceanica has been proposed as a starting material for carboxymethylcellulose [5,6] and for sodium cellulose carboxymethylate [7], which are used as absorption materials
Summary
In the Mediterranean Sea Posidonia oceanica is the dominant seagrass covering about 50,000 km of coastal sandy areas [1]. Its fibrous residues are ball-shaped dry materials, which are called egagropili and are found in large amounts along the Mediterranean coast. Banquettes of P. oceanica are removed to clean touristic beaches; for example, 114 km of Sardinian coasts in 2004 produced a total amount of about. Holocellulose is the total carbohydrate component and has been calculated to be 61.8% and cellulose contributes 40% [4]. This result makes egagropili a renewable cellulose source. Cellulose extracted from P. oceanica has been proposed as a starting material for carboxymethylcellulose [5,6] and for sodium cellulose carboxymethylate [7], which are used as absorption materials
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