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Journal of Bioresources and Bioproducts. 2017, 2(2): 45-49 www.Bioresources-Bioproducts.com 45 Nanocellulosic materials: research/production activities and applications Xingye An a,b , Dong Cheng a,b , Jing Shen b,c , Qingming Jia b,d , Zhibin He b , Linqiang Zheng b , Avik Khan b , Bo Sun b,e Bitao Xiong b,f , and Yonghao Ni a,b, * a) Tianjin Key Laboratory of Pulp and Paper, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin 300457, China. b) Department of Chemical Engineering, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, New Brunswick, E3B 5A3, Canada. c) Key Laboratory of Bio-based Material Science and Technology, Ministry of Education, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China. d) Department of Chemical Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming 650093, China. e) Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Ministry of Education, Tianjin 300457, China. f) School of Science, Zhejiang University of Science and Technology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310023, China. *Corresponding author’s E-mail address: [email protected] (Yonghao Ni). ABSTRACT Nanocelluloses have emerged as novel materials and attracted significant interest from both academia and industry. Nanocelluloses can now be produced at pilot plant and pre-commercial scales, and even at commercial scales in some regions in the world. Successful commercial applications of nanocelluloses have entered commercial stages though their full potentials are yet to be developed. In this short communication, the applications of these nanomaterials are high-lighted, including high-volume applications (e.g., paper, textiles), high-value applications (e.g., aerogels and structure materials for aerospace), and novel/emerging applications (e.g., organic light emitting diodes, photonic films). Close collaboration between industries and the academic world would facilitate the development of commercial markets for using nanocelluloses in existing/new areas. Keywords: Nanocelluloses; Nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC); Nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC); Cellulose filaments (CF); Cellulose whiskers (CW) BACKGROUND Nanocelluloses are a family of sustainable nanosized materials derived from natural resources, including plants, bacteria, and algae. Currently, on the basis of dimensions, functions, and production methods, nanocelluloses may include: nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC), nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC), cellulose whiskers (CW), bacterial nanocellulose (BNC), and cellulose filaments (CF), among others. However, diversified terms have been used to describe nanocelluloses in both academia and industries; for instance, nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC) is also called “cellulose nanocrystals or crystalline nanocellulose (CNC)”. 1 The liberation of NCC from cellulosic fibers was reported as early as in 1947. 2 NFC, on the other hand, may date back to the late 1970s, when a gel-like product was generated by passing wood-derived pulp fibers through a homogenizer at high temperatures and high pressures followed by ejection impact against a hard surface. 3 BNC refers to nanostructured cellulose produced by bacteria. 4 Globally, the production of nanocelluloses and their diversified applications have attracted widespread interest. There are many applications relevant to various fields such as materials science and biomedical engineering, due to their interesting inherent features, such as renewability, biocompatibility, high mechanical strength, and interesting optical properties. 5-7 RESEARCH/PRODUCTION ACTIVITIES Nanocelluloses are one of the active areas in nanotechnology. Most of the research has been directed towards the formation/liberation of nanocellulosic fibers and their applications. 8 In addition to the aforementioned types of nanocelluloses, the research on the design of novel nanocelluloses with special functionalities has also been concerned. 9 As of September 15, 2016, literature search with “Scopus” generated 3,929 document results using “nanocellulose”, “nanocrystalline cellulose”, “cellulose nanocrystals”, “cellulose whiskers”, “nanofibrillated cellulose”, “cellulose nanofibrils”, “microfibrillated cellulose”, and “bacterial nanocellulose” as article titles/abstracts/keywords. In particular, nanocellulose research has been booming since 2009. Noticeably, the number of published documents in 2009 and 2016 are 119 and 777 respectively. The rather pronounced increase in these scientific/technical publications can be owing to the extensive support and funding from governments. The top 10 countries in terms of the number of published papers in nanocelluloses are shown in Fig. 1. It may be considered that these 10 countries, i.e., USA, China, Canada, Sweden, Finland, France, Brazil, Japan, India, and Spain, are basically leading the way in this area. MINI REVIEW Peer-Reviewed

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Page 1: MINI REVIEW - pdfs.semanticscholar.org

Journal of Bioresources and Bioproducts. 2017, 2(2): 45-49

www.Bioresources-Bioproducts.com 45

Nanocellulosic materials: research/production activities and applications

Xingye Ana,b, Dong Chenga,b, Jing Shenb,c, Qingming Jiab,d, Zhibin Heb, Linqiang Zhengb, Avik Khanb, Bo Sunb,e Bitao Xiongb,f, and Yonghao Nia,b,*

a) Tianjin Key Laboratory of Pulp and Paper, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin 300457, China.b) Department of Chemical Engineering, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, New Brunswick, E3B 5A3, Canada.c) Key Laboratory of Bio-based Material Science and Technology, Ministry of Education, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040,

China.d) Department of Chemical Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming 650093, China.e) Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Ministry of Education, Tianjin 300457,

China.f) School of Science, Zhejiang University of Science and Technology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310023, China.*Corresponding author’s E-mail address: [email protected] (Yonghao Ni).

ABSTRACT

Nanocelluloses have emerged as novel materials and attracted significant interest from both academia and industry. Nanocelluloses can now be produced at pilot plant and pre-commercial scales, and even at commercial scales in some regions in the world. Successful commercial applications of nanocelluloses have entered commercial stages though their full potentials are yet to be developed. In this short communication, the applications of these nanomaterials are high-lighted, including high-volume applications (e.g., paper, textiles), high-value applications (e.g., aerogels and structure materials for aerospace), and novel/emerging applications (e.g., organic light emitting diodes, photonic films). Close collaboration between industries and the academic world would facilitate the development of commercial markets for using nanocelluloses in existing/new areas.

Keywords: Nanocelluloses; Nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC); Nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC); Cellulose filaments (CF); Cellulose whiskers (CW)

BACKGROUND

Nanocelluloses are a family of sustainable nanosized materials derived from natural resources, including plants, bacteria, and algae. Currently, on the basis of dimensions, functions, and production methods, nanocelluloses may include: nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC), nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC), cellulose whiskers (CW), bacterial nanocellulose (BNC), and cellulose filaments (CF), among others. However, diversified terms have been used to describe nanocelluloses in both academia and industries; for instance, nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC) is also called “cellulose nanocrystals or crystalline nanocellulose (CNC)”.1 The liberation of NCC from cellulosic fibers was reported as early as in 1947.2 NFC, on the other hand, may date back to the late 1970s, when a gel-like product was generated by passing wood-derived pulp fibers through a homogenizer at high temperatures and high pressures followed by ejection impact against a hard surface.3 BNC refers to nanostructured cellulose produced by bacteria.4

Globally, the production of nanocelluloses and their diversified applications have attracted widespread interest. There are many applications relevant to various fields such as materials science and biomedical engineering, due to their interesting inherent features, such as renewability, biocompatibility, high mechanical strength, and interesting optical properties.5-7

RESEARCH/PRODUCTION ACTIVITIES

Nanocelluloses are one of the active areas in nanotechnology. Most of the research has been directed towards the formation/liberation of nanocellulosic fibers and their applications.8 In addition to the aforementioned types of nanocelluloses, the research on the design of novel nanocelluloses with special functionalities has also been concerned.9

As of September 15, 2016, literature search with “Scopus” generated 3,929 document results using “nanocellulose”, “nanocrystalline cellulose”, “cellulose nanocrystals”, “cellulose whiskers”, “nanofibrillated cellulose”, “cellulose nanofibrils”, “microfibrillated cellulose”, and “bacterial nanocellulose” as article titles/abstracts/keywords. In particular, nanocellulose research has been booming since 2009. Noticeably, the number of published documents in 2009 and 2016 are 119 and 777 respectively. The rather pronounced increase in these scientific/technical publications can be owing to the extensive support and funding from governments. The top 10 countries in terms of the number of published papers in nanocelluloses are shown in Fig. 1. It may be considered that these 10 countries, i.e., USA, China, Canada, Sweden, Finland, France, Brazil, Japan, India, and Spain, are basically leading the way in this area.

MINI REVIEW

Peer-Reviewed

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Journal of Bioresources and Bioproducts. 2017, 2(2): 45-49

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Fig. 1. Published documents sorted by countries (Scopus)

Nanocelluloses are commercially available in the global market. However, these products have mainly been used in research for exploring new possibilities of product development. Currently, a number of institutions can produce nanocelluloses at commercial, pre-commercial, and pilot scales. Table 1 lists some institutions (mainly companies) capable of producing nanocelluloses on different scales.10-16 Besides the cited sources, others were collected from the webpages on the internet. It is noted that

BNC is already commercially used in medical applications.16-17 However, its use is only limited to very low levels.16

Nowadays, more and more companies, universities, and research centers/institutes are interested in R and D, and/or production of nanocelluloses. In this regard, new producers of nanocelluloses are likely to immerge in the next few years, and huge possibilities for product development can be expected.

Table 1. Producers of nanocelluloses (commercial, pre-commercial, and pilot scales) (non-exhaustive)

Country Institution Product(s) Switzerland WEIDMAN Fiber Technology NFC

Norway Borregaard NFC USA University of Maine NFC USA American Process NCC, NFC, and their lignin-coated new products USA Paperlogic NFC

Sweden Innventia NFC Canada CelluForce NCC Canada Kruger Biomaterials CF France CTP/FCBA NFC Japan Oji Paper NFC

Finland UPM NFC Japan Nippon Paper NFC Japan DaiCel NFC

Finland Stora Enso NFC USA Verso Paper NFC

Canada AlPac and AIFT NCC

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Canada BioVision NCC Germany Rettenmaier NFC

Norske Skog Norway NFC Netherlands Netherlands NFC

Finland VTT NFC Sweden Holmen (Melodea) NCC

USA USDA Forest Products Laboratory NCC Canada Blue Goose Biorefineries NCC China Tianjin Haojia Cellulose NCC, NFC

Canada Alberta Innovates NCC Israel Melodea NCC China Tianjin Woodelf Biotechnology NCC, NFC China Guilin Qihong Technology NCC, NFC, BNC

Canada Cellulose Lab NCC, NFC USA Biovision Technologies NCC USA BC Genesis BNC-based products

China Northeast Forestry University NCC, NFC Poland Bowil Biotech BNC-based products

Germany Lohmann & Rauscher BNC-based products USA Xylos BNC-based products

APPLICATIONS AND MARKETS

According to one report, basically, almost all nanocelluloses produced on commercial, pre-commercial, pilot, and laboratory scales are used in research for new market/product development, and modest sales/revenues are generated in fields such as biomedical engineering.17 In fact, bacterial nanocellulose based medical and cosmetic products are commercially available in the global market.18 CF (cellulose filaments) has shown to have commercial application in the production of tissue paper in Canada.19 NCC has also acted as a drilling fluid additive to improve the performances of drilling muds.20 It is believed that nanocelluloses hold great promise in various applications, e.g., paper, packaging, and adhesives.21-22

The envisaged markets for nanocelluloses can be divided

into three levels: (1) low-end, large-scale commodity applications in the pulp and paper industry (e.g., stronger and lighter conventional paper products); (2) mid-range applications (e.g., food, structural materials); and (3) high-end applications (e.g., printed electronics, batteries, paper-based value-added materials).23

Reasonably, these markets can also be conceived to involve high-volume applications, low-volume applications, and novel/emerging applications (i.e., such markets are essentially unavailable).24-25 It is noted that the categorization of potential market sizes as high or low can be conducted by considering applications where nanocelluloses would replace existing materials.25 Some possible markets ranging from paper and packaging to aerospace and electronics are shown in Table 2.16

Table 2 Possible markets for nanocelluloses

Applications Industry Example High-volume applications

Automotive Body parts, interiors Construction Cement, pre-stressed and pre-cast concrete

Packaging Fiber/plastic replacement, filler/coating/film Paper Additives/coating

Textiles Clothing High-value applications Aerogels Oil and gas

Aerospace Structural materials, interiors Environmental Air and water filtration

Industrial Insulation and soundproofing, viscosity modifier Paint Surface protection

Personal care Cosmetics Pharmaceuticals Excipient

Sensors Medical and environmental Novel/emerging

applications Electronics-organic light emitting

diodes OLED displays, computer screens

Photonic structures-films Nano-enhanced films for structural coloration Industrial and medical-additive

manufacturing Tissue scaffolding, toys, jewelry, personalized gifts, raw materials for

3-D printers

CHALLENGES TO BE ADDRESSED

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Nanocelluloses are indeed a class of highly-versatile, sustainable, biodegradable nanomaterials with unique properties that may allow for many applications. However, to unlock their great potential, more research and development will be needed. Some possible challenges,26-30 relevant to the successful commercial applications of nanocelluloses, are listed below: 1) The inherent moisture-sensitivity and hydrophilicity of

nanocelluloses should be decreased if these materials are used for packaging and various high-end or novel applications.

2) The compatibility of nanocelluloses with hydrophobic materials should be enhanced if applications in plastic composites are considered.

3) The cost and/or energy consumption associated with nanocellulose production should be further reduced if low-end applications are targeted, and integrated processes involving the efficient treatment of waste streams (e.g., highly-acidic aqueous pollutants) are desired.

4) As nanosized particulate materials, nanocelluloses can easily form aggregates in both aqueous and non-aqueous media, which would limit their efficient use in various applications.

5) The environmental/safety concerns associated with nanocellulose-based products need to be addressed.

6) The scalability of the production processes, such as those relevant to bacterial nanocellulose, should be improved, so that large-scale, low-cost commercial production can be facilitated.

CONCLUDING REMARK

The combination of “cellulose science and engineering” with “nanotechnology” has led to the generation of an interesting class of nanomaterials, i.e., nanocelluloses. In recent years (particularly since 2009), research and development related to the isolation/production of nanocelluloses and their use for diversified applications has been intensive. The processes for the isolation of nanocrystalline cellulose and nanofibrillated cellulose from lignocellulosic feedstocks have reached a relatively mature level, and these biomaterials can now be produced on commercial scales. In the case of bacterial nanocellulose, it is now available as a commercial product, but its tunable fabrication as well as its production on a larger scale is still a hot topic within the scientific community.

Despite great global efforts on the research in nanocelluloses, their successful commercial applications are still limited. Nanocrystalline cellulose and nanofibrillated cellulose available in the global market are largely used in research for new product development. To move towards significant breakthroughs in the commercialization of nanocellulosic technologies, certain barriers such as those related to product cost, energy consumption, and the inherent moisture-sensitivity of cellulosic macromolecules

remain to be addressed. Nevertheless, nanocelluloses are expected to be

commercially used in diversified areas soon. These include packaging materials, paper, automotive body parts/interiors, and cosmetics, among others. In the context of booming global research and development, with close collaboration between industry and the academic world (together with supports from governments), the commercial production of nanocelluloses tailored for various end-user applications (including novel, high-end applications) would have a bright future. Multidisciplinary research on the basis of integration of nanocelluloses with electronics, physics, biotechnology, etc., would eventually lead to the strategic transformation of the conventional industries (including the pulp and paper industry), as well as the creation of new value to cellulose.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The authors wish to acknowledge the support of Canada Research Chairs Program.

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