Key Lab of Science and Technology of Eco-textile, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, People's Republic of China; Shanghai Belt and Road Joint Laboratory of Textile Intelligent Manufacturing, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, China.
Key Lab of Science and Technology of Eco-textile, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, People's Republic of China; National Manufacturing Innovation Center of Advanced Dyeing and Finishing Technology, Tai'an, Shandong 271000, China.
Int J Biol Macromol. 2024 May;267(Pt 2):131461. doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.131461. Epub 2024 Apr 8.
Recycling and high-value reutilization of waste cotton fabrics (WCFs) has attracted a widespread concern. One potential solution is to extract nanocellulose. Sulfuric acid hydrolysis is a conventional method for the production of nanocellulose with high negative charge from WCFs. However, the recycling and disposal of chemicals in nanocellulose production, along with low yields, remain significant challenges. Consequently, there is a pressing need for a sustainable method to produce nanocellulose at higher yield without the use of chemicals. Herein, we propose a green, sustainable and chemical-free method to extract nanocellulose from WCFs. The nanocellulose displayed a rod-like shape with a length of 50-300 nm, a large aspect ratio of 18.4 ± 2 and the highest yield of up to 89.9 %. The combined short-time and efficient two-step process, involving electron beam irradiation (EBI) and high-pressure homogenization (HPH), offers a simple and efficient alternative approach with a low environmental impact, to extract nanocellulose. EBI induced a noticeable degradation in WCFs and HPH exfoliated cellulose to nano-size with high uniformity via mechanical forces. The as-prepared nanocellulose exhibits excellent emulsifying ability as the Pickering emulsion emulsifier. This work provides a facile and efficient approach for nanocellulose fabrication as well as a sustainable way for recycle and reutilization of the waste cotton fabrics.
废弃棉织物（WCFs）的回收和高价值再利用引起了广泛关注。一种潜在的解决方案是提取纳米纤维素。硫酸水解是从 WCFs 生产具有高负电荷的纳米纤维素的常规方法。然而，纳米纤维素生产中化学物质的回收和处理以及低产率仍然是重大挑战。因此，迫切需要一种可持续的方法，在不使用化学物质的情况下以更高的产率生产纳米纤维素。在此，我们提出了一种从 WCFs 中提取纳米纤维素的绿色、可持续和无化学物质的方法。纳米纤维素呈棒状，长度为 50-300nm，长宽比高达 18.4±2，最高产率可达 89.9%。该联合的短时间、高效两步法，涉及电子束辐照（EBI）和高压匀浆（HPH），提供了一种简单高效的替代方法，具有低环境影响，可用于提取纳米纤维素。EBI 导致 WCFs 发生明显降解，而 HPH 通过机械力将纤维素剥离成纳米级，具有高度均匀性。所制备的纳米纤维素作为 Pickering 乳液乳化剂表现出优异的乳化能力。这项工作为纳米纤维素的制造提供了一种简便有效的方法，同时为废弃棉织物的回收和再利用提供了一种可持续的方法。
