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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Albany, California » Western Regional Research Center » Bioproducts Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #404039
Research Project: Bioproducts and Biopolymers from Agricultural Feedstocks

Location: Bioproducts Research

Title: Sodium chloride and sodium dodecyl sulfate as additives to enhance dispersibility in microfibrillated cellulose

Author
item SILVA, LUIZ EDUARDO - Federal University Of Lavras
item SIMSON, RILEY - North Carolina State University
item Torres, Lennard
item Hart-Cooper, William
item Cao, Trung
item Klamczynski, Artur
item Glenn, Gregory - Greg
item DE SENA NETO, ALFREDO - Federal University Of Lavras
item Williams, Tina
item Wood, Delilah - De
item Orts, William
item TONOLI, GUSTAVO - Federal University Of Lavras

Submitted to: Cellulose
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/8/2023
Publication Date: 10/27/2023
Citation: Silva, L., Simson, R., Torres, L.F., Hart-Cooper, W.M., Cao, T.K., Klamczynski, A.P., Glenn, G.M., de Sena Neto, A.R., Williams, T.G., Wood, D.F., Orts, W.J., Tonoli, G.H. 2023. Sodium chloride and sodium dodecyl sulfate as additives to enhance dispersibility in microfibrillated cellulose. Cellulose. 30:10923–10934. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10570-023-05555-4.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10570-023-05555-4

Interpretive Summary: Microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) is made from plant fiber and has unique properties and commercial potential due to its extremely small size and high surface area. MFC is typically made in an aqueous environment and tends to agglomerate when dried making it lose its unique properties. In a coordinated effort, scientists from ARS, Lavras University in Brazil, and North Carolina showed that when MFC was dried in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate or sodium chloride, it could be redispersed much more efficiently in aqueous solutions and made superior films. This research will help in efforts to better utilize MFC in products and improve commercial viability.

Technical Abstract: During drying, microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) can aggregate, lowering tensile strength and changing morphology. Therefore, the present study aims to evaluate additives as hydrogen bonding inhibitors on MFC to prevent aggregation. TEMPO-mediated oxidation followed by high-shear mixing was used to produce MFC. Never-dried (ND) MFC, only-dried MFC (DR), MFC dried with sodium chloride (D-Na) and sodium dodecyl sulfate (D-SD) were analyzed. DR presented visible aggregates with lower stability in water (less than 85%) and the least resistant films from all the samples. Even though D-Na has shown particle size similar to D-SD, its tensile strength and strain at break were considerably lower. D-SD presented the most stable dispersion with smaller particles and porous structure with a residual presence of SDS that increased in 28% tensile strength and 48% in stiffness compared to ND. Hence, D-SD was the most suitable method of drying, preserving MFC properties, while enhancing mechanical properties.