Studies on the Characteristics of CNF from Paper Mulberry Bast Fiber

Abstract

Cellulose nanofiber (CNF) has a wide range of applications due to its advantageous properties, including renewability, biodegradability, high mechanical strength, dimensional stability, thermal stability, and high resistance to water. Consequently, much research is focused on its development and improvement. CNF is obtained most widely from both softwood and hardwood, but it can be also be sourced from non-wood based materials and micro organisms. However, improved living standard and economic growth combine to raise the price of wood annually, coinciding with increased production of wood products such as paper, tissue, wrapper, etc. Thus the use of non-wood based materials as an alternative to wood pulp is increasing in a variety of industries all over the world. In this study, we analyzed CNF manufactured from paper mulberry bast fiber in order to confirm its applicability to various industries. After pre-treatment of the paper mulberry bast pulp, a wet disk-mill and high pressure homogenizer (HPH) were employed sequently to manufacture CNF, which was then characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), derivative thermogravimetry (DTG), and X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and the degree of polymerization (DP), tensile strength and elongation were measured. We conclude that it is feasible to manufacture high quality CNF from paper mulberry bast fiber.