Valorization of Enzymatic Hydrolysis Residues from Corncob into Lignin-Containing Cellulose Nanofibrils and Lignin Nanoparticles.

Rui Xu,Xinyu Zhang,Bin Li,Chao Liu,Guang Yu,Meng Zhang,Hui Wang,Meiyan Wu,Chuanling Si,Sun-Eun Choi,Haishun Du

doi:10.3389/fbioe.2021.677963

Abstract

As a kind of biomass waste, enzymatic hydrolysis residues (EHRs) are conventionally burned or just discarded, resulting in environmental pollution and low economic benefits. In this study, EHRs of corncob residues (CCR) were used to produce high lignin-containing cellulose nanofibrils (LCNFs) and lignin nanoparticles (LNPs) through a facile approach. The LCNFs and LNPs with controllable chemical compositions and properties were produced by tuning the enzymolysis time of CCR and the followed homogenization. The morphology, thermal stability, chemical and crystalline structure, and dispersibility of the resultant LCNFs and LNPs were further comprehensively investigated. This work not only promotes the production of lignocellulose-based nanomaterials but also provides a promising utilization pathway for EHRs.

Highlights

In recent years, along with the increasing concerns derived from fossil resource dependence and environmental pollution, lignocellulosic biomass has been regarded as an alternative source of biofuels and bio-based products because of its large amount of stock and renewability (Xu et al, 2016; Li et al, 2019, 2020; Lin et al, 2020; Yang et al, 2020; Liu K. et al, 2021; Zheng et al, 2021b)
The insert photos of the collected suspensions of the nanomaterial after homogenization vividly demonstrate the color change, which correlates with the lignin content
The current study demonstrated that the enzymatic hydrolysis residues (EHRs) could be an attractive material for the preparation of lignincontaining cellulose nanofibrils (LCNFs) or lignin nanoparticles (LNPs), which might find applications in diverse fields such as reinforcing nanofillers and Pickering emulsions

Summary

Introduction

Along with the increasing concerns derived from fossil resource dependence and environmental pollution, lignocellulosic biomass has been regarded as an alternative source of biofuels and bio-based products because of its large amount of stock and renewability (Xu et al, 2016; Li et al, 2019, 2020; Lin et al, 2020; Yang et al, 2020; Liu K. et al, 2021; Zheng et al, 2021b). It has been reported that approximately 900 million tons of agricultural wastes were produced in China each year (Liu et al, 2019; Xu et al, 2019; Chen et al, 2020). Burning of agricultural waste is strictly forbidden to protect the environment and achieve the target carbon neutrality in China. It is of great importance to valorize these agricultural wastes into valuable products by using sustainable and environmentally friendly processes (Xu et al, 2020)

Methods

Results

Conclusion