Nanocellulose is a renewable and biodegradable material offering a high surface area along with a versatile surface chemistry. The combination of these properties makes nanocellulose a very promising material for application in high-performance membranes and filters that can selectively remove contaminants from polluted gas, air and water. The application of nanocellulose materials in such applications requires their conversion into at least one of the following structures: a stand-alone film; a stand-alone foam/gel; or a coating on another surface (as film or foam).<br/>Nanocelluloses are generally produced as water based suspensions at quite low solids content, ca. &lt; 10 %. The high surface area of the constituent units and their hydrophilic nature confers these suspensions with a high viscosity even at low solids concentrations. The resultant complex rheological behavior of the nanocellulose suspensions poses a challenge to their processing into the desired structures/shapes, especially at large scale. Furthermore, there are challenges related to the post-processing performance of these nanocellulose materials in filtration applications, e.g. adhesion of nanocellulose to the substrate after coating, mechanical performance of the stand-alone foam/film structure, etc. It is critical to understand these challenges and recognize their impact on the upscaling potential of these novel solutions. At VTT, along with functionalizing and tuning various nanocellulose grades for these applications, we have also been working on the processability of these functionalized nanocelluloses into the above-mentioned structures, especially films and coatings at pilot scale. This work discusses these processing challenges through examples from pilot scale trials and presents some potential ways to overcome them. Some methods for improving the post-processing performance are also presented.

Processing and upscaling potential of functionalized nanocellulose as films and coatings for various purification applications

Macromolecular Chemistry: The Second Century

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ACS Spring 2020 National Meeting & Expo

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.