Padzil Farah Nadia Mohammad, Lee Seng Hua, Ainun Zuriyati Mohamed Asa'ari, Lee Ching Hao, Abdullah Luqman Chuah
Laboratory of Biopolymer and Derivatives, Institute of Tropical Forestry and Forest Products (INTROP), Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Selangor, Malaysia.
Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Selangor, Malaysia.
Materials (Basel). 2020 Mar 10;13(5):1245. doi: 10.3390/ma13051245.
Oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) is considered the cheapest natural fiber with good properties and exists abundantly in Malaysia. It has great potential as an alternative main raw material to substitute woody plants. On the other hand, the well-known polymeric hydrogel has gathered a lot of interest due to its three-dimensional (3D) cross-linked network with high porosity. However, some issues regarding its performance like poor interfacial connectivity and mechanical strength have been raised, hence nanocellulose has been introduced. In this review, the plantation of oil palm in Malaysia is discussed to show the potential of OPEFB as a nanocellulose material in hydrogel production. Nanocellulose can be categorized into three nano-structured celluloses, which differ in the processing method. The most popular nanocellulose hydrogel processing methods are included in this review. The 3D printing method is taking the lead in current hydrogel production due to its high complexity and the need for hygiene products. Some of the latest advanced applications are discussed to show the high commercialization potential of nanocellulose hydrogel products. The authors also considered the challenges and future direction of nanocellulose hydrogel. OPEFB has met the requirements of the marketplace and product value chains as nanocellulose raw materials in hydrogel applications.
油棕空果串（OPEFB）被认为是最便宜且性能良好的天然纤维，在马来西亚大量存在。它作为替代木本植物的主要原材料具有巨大潜力。另一方面，众所周知的聚合物水凝胶因其具有高孔隙率的三维（3D）交联网络而备受关注。然而，关于其性能的一些问题，如界面连通性差和机械强度低等已被提出，因此引入了纳米纤维素。在这篇综述中，讨论了马来西亚的油棕种植情况，以展示OPEFB作为纳米纤维素材料在水凝胶生产中的潜力。纳米纤维素可分为三种纳米结构纤维素，它们在加工方法上有所不同。本综述涵盖了最流行的纳米纤维素水凝胶加工方法。由于其高复杂性以及对卫生产品的需求，3D打印方法在当前水凝胶生产中处于领先地位。讨论了一些最新的先进应用，以展示纳米纤维素水凝胶产品的高商业化潜力。作者还考虑了纳米纤维素水凝胶的挑战和未来发展方向。OPEFB已满足作为水凝胶应用中纳米纤维素原材料的市场和产品价值链要求。
