Nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC) has gained increased attention during the last decades. Indeed, nanocellulose is an interesting renewable, biodegradable, and biobased material for many applications in such fields as: composites, papermaking, food, or more recently medical/ or pharmaceutical products. However, the production of nanofibrillated cellulose is still challenging due to the high energy consumption of mechanical treatment and high water content of the final product. Those two points are key issues for cost, transport, and formulations. The aim of this work is to find a new energy efficient process to produce NFC at high solid content.<br/>Nanofibrillated cellulose with a high solid content (20-25wt%) were produced from pretreated eucalyptus pulp thanks to a twin screw extruder equipped with kneading and feeding screws. Different chemical or biological pretreatments were used in order to facilitate the fibrillation and decrease the energy needed. Nanopaper with a Young’s modulus greater than 10 GPa were produced after one or more passes through the extruder. The ensuing NFC were characterized and compared with NFC produced using an ultrafine friction grinder Supermasscolloider. Finally, the energy used with the twin screw extruder was 50% lower than the one used with the masuko grinder with similar properties obtained from each mechanical treatment. New applications are considered for theses high content NFC.<br/>

Cellulose fibre in situ fibrillation by twin screw extrusion

253rd National Meeting (2017)

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