Abstract
Single-use plastics are expected to disappear, mainly due to the rise of stricter regulations to combat their impact on the environment. As an example, the recent European Directive on Single-Use-Plastics (SUP) will be implemented between 2021 and 2024 and will directly prohibit the use of some SUP. Baby diapers are one of the most used single-used products in our daily lives, and it is estimated that most of the ~4000 diapers that each baby uses in their life go to landfill. Such diapers usually contain superabsorbent polymers (SAP) that are based on acrylic acid-acrylamide mixtures with high water retention capacity, but they are neither bio-based nor biodegradable. In this work, we have developed bio-based superabsorbent aerogels made of cellulose nanofibers (CNF) and propose their potential use in baby diapers. TEMPO-oxidized CNF at different oxidation degrees were prepared and tested. The obtained CNF exhibited higher free swelling capacity (FSC) than the commercial fluff pulp (ranging from 117.62% to 245.21% higher) and also than the diaper absorbent, except for CNF-5 (ranging from 31.56% to 54.55%), even under compression. Overall, the present work shows a case study where CNF could have a potential application with market opportunities.
Highlights
In September 2015, the Heads of State and Government and High Representatives reached a historic decision on a comprehensive, far-reaching, and people-centered set of universal and transformative Goals and Targets
We characterized cellulose nanofibers (CNF) obtained with different oxidizer amounts during TEMPO-mediated oxidation according to previously reported methods
The results show that higher values of transmittance, yield of fibrillation, and water retention value (WRV) were achieved with increasing amounts of oxidizer (NaClO), while the values of degree of polymerization (DP) were reduced
Summary
In September 2015, the Heads of State and Government and High Representatives reached a historic decision on a comprehensive, far-reaching, and people-centered set of universal and transformative Goals and Targets. They established the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which contained 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). In May 2019, the European Parliament agreed to implement a Directive proposed by the European Commission to tackle marine litter by 2021–2024 [2]. Among the different strategies and measures of the proposed Directive, there will be a ban on selected single-use products made of plastic, measures to reduce their consumption, and producers will be held to higher responsibilities [3]
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