Development of vegetable-based (i.e. parenchymal cellulose) nanocellulose derivatives has recently offered a paradigm shift from the traditional wood-based (i.e. secondary cell wall cellulose) products. Especially, processing non-food agroindustry side streams using Betulium’s biorefinery concept has been demonstrated to be a cost-effective and sustainable method to produce a variety of native and chemically derivatized nanocellulose grades. In this study, we provide a comparative examination of native non-derivatized, anionic, cationic, and other derivatized nanocelluloses processed from parenchymal celluloses and secondary cell wall celluloses. Rheological characterization was used to study the yield-strain and viscosity profiles; electron microscopy to study the fibril dimensions; and, titration to determine the degree of substitution. Turbidity was measured to study the homogeneity; and, finally, tensile measurements of cast films were used compare mechanical properties of the different nanocellulose types. Based on the experimental results, the similarities and differences between the derivatized grades and raw materials are highlighted. Furthermore, the differences in the process parameters and chemical usage resulting from the cell wall type are discussed. We see that the results help differentiate between different derivatized nanocellulose grades and raw materials, allowing the academia and industry to choose the most suitable grades for their research and development activities.

Nanocellulose derivatives: A comparative study of nanocelluloses from wood- and vegetable-based raw materials

255th National Meeting (2018)

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