Structural features of brown algae cellulose

Abstract

Currently, cellulose is one of the most requested natural polymers and the material has a wide range of industrial applications. The most studied and extensively used source of cellulose are coniferous and deciduous wood. At the same time, taking into account the structural and chemical properties of the biopolymer, the influence on the formation of nano-, micro- and macro-characteristics, and the conditions of its biosynthesis, the industry increasingly pay attention to its alternative sources, including algae. In this work, a protein-polysaccharide complex, where cellulose is the principal component, was isolated from samples of brown algae samples collected from the White and Yellow Seas. The structural features of the brown algae cellulose complexes were studied using classical physicochemical methods, as well as FTIR spectroscopy, X-ray spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy Analyses revealed stable phase Iβ forms of cellulose predominated in arctic brown algal samples, and the degree of crystallinity of the cellulose product was 54–59%. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that the compound has a fibrous structure, which is most pronounced in samples derived from arctic kelp. These results expand our understanding of use of algal cellulose and macrophytes as a valuable raw material for the production of sorption and composite cellulose-based materials.