Degradation of TEMPO-oxidized cellulose fibers and nanofibrils by crude cellulase

The biodegradation behavior of 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl radical (TEMPO)-oxidized cellulose fibers (TOCs) suspended in water and TEMPO-oxidized cellulose nanofibrils (TOCNs) dispersed in water by a commercial crude cellulase was studied. Products crude cellulase-treated for 0–7 days were separated into water/ethanol-insoluble and -soluble fractions. Weight recovery ratios and viscosity-average degrees of polymerization of the water/ethanol-insoluble fractions clearly decreased with crude cellulase-treatment time, showing that both TOCs and TOCNs have biodegradability. Water/ethanol-soluble fractions were subjected to size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) with photodiode array (PDA) detection to obtain SEC elution patterns detected by reflective index and UV spectra of each SEC pattern elution slice. SEC–PDA and ¹³C-NMR analyses showed that glucuronosyl unit-containing molecules present on microfibril surfaces in TOCs and TOCNs were primarily cleaved by hydrolyzing enzymes present as contaminants in the crude cellulase to form glucuronic acid as one of the major water-soluble degradation compounds. After the glucuronosyl units in TOCs and TOCNs were degraded and removed from microfibril surfaces by the hydrolyzing enzymes, cellulose chains newly exposed on the microfibril surfaces were rapidly hydrolyzed by cellulases predominantly present in the crude cellulase to form cellobiose. Both TOCs and TOCNs having sodium carboxyl groups are thus biodegradable, but TOCN having free carboxyl groups had clearly low biodegradability by the crude cellulase. Thus, biodegradation behavior may be controllable by controlling the structure of carboxyl group counter ions in TOCs and TOCNs.     

Production of cellulose nanofibrils via an eco-friendly approach

Cellulose - Swelling of cellulose fibers facilitates the fibrillation process by mechanical treatment. In this study, potassium hydroxide (KOH)-urea (KUr) solution was investigated to swell fibers...     

Nanocomposites of natural rubber and polyaniline-modified cellulose nanofibrils

Cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) were isolated from cotton microfibrils (CM) by acid hydrolysis and coated with polyaniline (PANI) by in situ polymerization of aniline onto CNF in the presence of hydrochloride acid and ammonium peroxydisulfate to produce CNF/PANI. Nanocomposites of natural rubber (NR) reinforced with CNF and CNF/PANI were obtained by casting/evaporation method. TG analyses showed that coating CNF with PANI resulted in a material with better thermal stability since PANI acted as a protective barrier against cellulose degradation. Nanocomposites and natural rubber showed the same thermal profiles to 200 °C, partly due to the relatively lower amount of CNF/PANI added as compared to conventional composites. On the other hand, mechanical properties of natural rubber were significantly improved with nanofibrils incorporation, i.e., Young’s modulus and tensile strength were higher for NR/CNF than NR/CNF/PANI nanocomposites. The electrical conductivity of natural rubber increased five orders of magnitude for NR with the addition of 10 mass% CNF/PANI. A partial PANI dedoping might be responsible for the low electrical conductivity of the nanocomposites.     

Highly ductile fibres and sheets by core-shell structuring of the cellulose nanofibrils

A greater ductility of cellulosic materials is important if they are to be used in increasingly advanced applications. This study explores the potential for using chemical core-shell structuring on the nanofibril level to alter the mechanical properties of cellulose fibres and sheets made thereof. The structuring was achieved by a selective oxidation of the cellulose C2–C3 bonds with sodium periodate, followed by a reduction of the aldehydes formed with sodium borohydride, i.e. locally transforming cellulose to dialcohol cellulose. The resulting fibres were morphologically characterised and the sheets made of these modified fibres were mechanically tested. These analyses showed a minor decrease in the degree of polymerisation, a significantly reduced cellulose crystal width and a greater ductility. At 27 % conversion of the available C2–C3 bonds, sheets could be strained 11 %, having a stress at break of about 90 MPa, and consequently a remarkable tensile energy absorption at rupture of about 9 kJ/kg, i.e. 3–4 times higher than a strong conventional paper. Zero-span tensile measurements indicated that the treatment increased the ductility not only of sheets but also of individual fibres. This suggests that the amorphous and molecularly more mobile dialcohol cellulose is located as a shell surrounding the crystalline core of the cellulose fibrils, and that, at deformations beyond the yield point, this facilitates plastic deformation both within and between individual fibres.     

Viscosity control and reactivity improvements of cellulose fibers by cellulase treatment

Cellulase treatment for decreasing viscosity of cellulose (dissolving pulp) is a promising approach to reduce the use of toxic chemicals, such as hypochlorite in the dissolving pulp manufacturing process. In this study, the use of an endoglucanase-rich cellulase to replace the hypochlorite for this purpose and its improvements of the Fock reactivity were investigated. The results showed that at a given viscosity level, the replacement of hypochlorite treatment with a cellulase treatment in the bleach plant under otherwise the same conditions led to a higher Fock reactivity (72.0 vs 46.7 %). These results were due to the enzymatic peeling/etching mechanism, which partially peeled the primary wall of the fibers, thus improving the accessibility of fibers. The improved accessibility of the enzymatic treated pulp was supported by the positive fiber morphological changes determined, based on the SEM, BET and WRV methods. The alkali solubility results further supported the conclusion.     

Adsorption of cationic surfactants and subsequent adsolubilization of organic compounds onto cellulose fibers

Cationic surfactants with different hydrophobic chain length were adsorbed onto cellulose fibers in an aqueous medium. The adsorption isotherms exhibited three characteristic regions which were interpreted in terms of the mode of aggregation of the surfactant molecules at the solid–liquid interface. The hydrophobic layers were used as a reservoir to trap various slightly water soluble organic molecules. A quantitative study of these phenomena suggested typical partition behavior of the organic solutes between the aqueous phase and the surfactant layer. The surfactant chain length (from C12 to C18) was shown to play an important role in terms of the capacity to retain the organic solute and the capacity increased with the number of carbon atoms.     

Adsorption of a Trichoderma reesei endoglucanase and cellobiohydrolase onto bleached Kraft fibres

Cellulases can be used to modify pulp fibres. For the development of biotechnical applications, a better understanding of the adsorption of cellulases onto commercial wood fibres is needed. In this work, the adsorption behaviour of purified CBH I and EG II on bleached Kraft fibres was investigated. Three variables were studied with respect to their effect on adsorption: fibre type (hardwood or softwood), fibre history (never-dried or once-dried), and ionic strength. The results showed that fibre history had the largest influence on the extent of adsorption of each enzyme. The effect of ionic strength was shown to be dependent on the enzyme and fibre type. At high ionic strength, CBH I exhibited a higher affinity for both once-dried and never-dried fibres at low enzyme concentrations; however, salt was shown to decrease the extent of adsorption at higher enzyme dosages. In contrast, salt increased the maximum adsorption of EG II, most notably on the once-dried hardwood fibres. Fibre type was also shown to affect adsorption behaviour. CBH I had a higher affinity for softwood fibres than for hardwood fibres at low enzyme concentrations. The maximum adsorption of EG II onto once-dried softwood fibres increased by 80% compared to the once-dried hardwood fibres. Interestingly, this did not correlate to in creased fibre hydrolysis. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Characterization of cellulose nanofibrils prepared by direct TEMPO-mediated oxidation of hemp bast

Hemp bast (α-cellulose 79.4%, Klason lignin 4.9%) was directly oxidized by 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl radical (TEMPO)-mediated oxidation in water at pH 10 and room temperature for 2 h. The level of added NaClO in oxidation varied from 5 to 30 mmol/g (based on dry weight of hemp bast). Weight recovery ratios of the TEMPO-oxidized hemp bast celluloses were in the range of 81–91%, and their carboxylate contents increased up to 1.2 mmol/g with the increased NaClO addition level. The lignin contents decreased to 0.5–0.9% after oxidation, and the viscosity-average degrees of polymerization decreased from 1100 to 560 because of depolymerization during oxidation. Thus, direct TEMPO-mediated oxidation of hemp bast introduced a significant number of carboxylate groups and simultaneously achieved sufficient delignification. Small amounts of xylose, mannose, and rhamnose originating from hemicelluloses remained in the TEMPO-oxidized hemp bast samples prepared by oxidation with 5–20 mmol/g NaClO. However, oxidation with 30 mmol/g NaClO completely removed these hemicellulose-originating sugars, and produced almost pure TEMPO-oxidized cellulose. When TEMPO-oxidized hemp bast samples were mechanically disintegrated in water, their nanofibrillation yields were 58–65%. After removal of unfibrillated fractions by centrifugation, transparent dispersions showed birefringence when observed between cross-polarizers, while atomic force microscopy images showed near-individually dispersed nanofibril elements with widths of ~2 nm.     

Morphology and rheology of cellulose nanofibrils derived from mixtures of pulp fibres and papermaking fines

The rheological behaviour of homogenised fibres originally having different lengths was evaluated. For this purpose, mixtures of pulp fibres and fines were fibrillated mechanically without pre-treatment and characterised with regard to morphology and viscosity. It was found that, for all samples, a similar number of homogenisation passes was needed to reach a viscosity plateau. However, the value of the final viscosity differed significantly: homogenised suspensions derived from fines achieved only about 60 % of the viscosity of suspensions derived from pulp. Already after a few homogenisation cycles, no differences between the samples could be measured using optical devices, indicating that fibrillation on the nanometre scale was responsible for the distinct rheological behaviours. Atomic force microscopy measurements indicated significantly reduced fibril lengths for the suspensions derived from fines, which explains their reduced viscosity.     

Investigation of cross-linked PVA/starch biocomposites reinforced by cellulose nanofibrils isolated from aspen wood sawdust

In this study, a bio-based composite prepared from cross-linked polyvinyl alcohol/starch/cellulose nanofibril (CNF) was developed for film packaging applications. For this purpose, CNF, as reinforcing phase, was initially isolated from aspen wood sawdust (AWS) using chemo-mechanical treatments, and during these treatments, hydrolysis conditions were optimized by experimental design. Morphological and chemical characterizations of AWS fibers were studied by transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, Kappa number, and attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, as well as National Renewable Energy Laboratory and ASTM procedures. Morphological images showed that the diameter of the AWS fibers was dramatically decreased during the chemo-mechanical treatments, proving the successful isolation of CNF. Moreover, chemical composition results indicated the successful isolation of cellulose, and Kappa number analysis demonstrated a dramatic reduction in lignin content. Mechanical, morphological, biodegradability, and barrier properties of biocomposites were also investigated to find out the influence of CNF on the prepared biocomposite properties. The mechanical results obtained from tensile analysis revealed that Young’s modulus and ultimate tensile strength of biocomposite films were enhanced with increasing CNF concentration, while a significant decrease was observed in elongation at break at the same concentration of CNF. Furthermore, with adding CNF, barrier properties and resistance to biodegradability were increased in films, whereas film transparency gradually declined.     

Investigation of endoglucanase selectivity on carboxymethyl cellulose by mass spectrometric techniques

The benefits of applying cellulose selective enzymes as analytical tools for chemical structure characterization of cellulose derivatives have been frequently addressed over the years. In a recent study the high selectivity of cellulase Cel45A from Trichoderma reesei (Tr Cel45A) was utilized for relating the chemical structure to the flow properties of carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC). However, in order to take full advantage of the enzymatic hydrolysis the enzyme selectivity on the cellulose substrate must be further investigated. Therefore, the selectivity of Tr Cel45A on CMC was studied by chemical sample preparation of the enzyme products followed by mass spectrometric chemical structure characterization. The results strongly suggest that, in accordance with recent studies, also this highly selective endoglucanase is able to catalyze hydrolysis of glucosidic bonds adjacent to mono-substituted anhydroglucose units (AGUs). Furthermore, the results also indicate that substituents on the nearby AGUs will affect the hydrolysis.     

Highly charged nanocrystalline cellulose and dicarboxylated cellulose from periodate and chlorite oxidized cellulose fibers

Softwood cellulose pulp was oxidized by a two-step oxidation process with sodium periodate followed by sodium chlorite at pH 5.0. The oxidized product was first separated into two fractions by centrifugation, and the supernatant was further separated in two fractions by addition of ethanol and centrifugation. Different levels of oxidation were performed on cellulose, and the mass ratio and carboxyl content of each fraction were determined. The first precipitate, which amount decreases with increasing oxidation level, consists of short fiber fragments (microfibrils) with length of 0.6–1.8 μm and width around 120 nm, which for sufficiently high oxidation levels, could readily be made into cellulose nanofibrils by stirring. The second precipitate (after alcohol addition) has a very high crystalline index of 91 % and contains rod-like particles with length of 120–200 nm and diameter around 13 nm, reminiscent of nanocrystalline cellulose. The supernatant contains water-soluble dicarboxylated cellulose, as proven by liquid C-13 NMR.     

Comparison of multilayer formation between different cellulose nanofibrils and cationic polymers

The multilayer formation between polyelectrolytes of opposite charge offers possibility for creating new tailored materials. Exchanging one or both components for charged nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC) further increases the variety of achievable properties. We explored this by introducing unmodified, low charged NFC and high charged TEMPO-oxidized NFC. Systematic evaluation of the effect of both NFC charge and properties of cationic polyelectrolytes on the structure of the multilayers was performed. As the cationic component cationic NFC was compared with two different cationic polyelectrolytes, poly(dimethyldiallylammoniumchloride) and cationic starch. Quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D) was used to monitor the multilayer formation and AFM colloidal probe microscopy (CPM) was further applied to probe surface interactions in order to gain information about fundamental interactions and layer properties. Generally, the results verified the characteristic multilayer formation between NFC of different charge and how the properties of formed multilayers can be tuned. However, the strong nonelectrostatic affinity between cellulosic fibrils was observed. CPM measurements revealed monotonically repulsive forces, which were in good correspondence with the QCM-D observations. Significant increase in adhesive forces was detected between the swollen high charged NFC.     

Preparation of fibrous cellulose by enzymatic polymerization using cross-linked mutant endoglucanase II

A cross-linked mutant endoglucanase II was prepared for enzymatic polymerization to cellulose. The cross-linked enzyme is composed of three mutant enzymes showing polymerization activity. A characteristic feature of the polymerization with this cross-linked enzyme is formation of cellulose fibrils in contrast to plate-like crystals obtained by using a free enzyme.     

Changes of supramolecular cellulose structure and accessibility induced by the processive endoglucanase Cel9B from Paenibacillus barcinonensis

A newly identified cellulase with a high polysaccharide degrading potential and a processive mode of action, has been evaluated on cellulose fibers. Cellulase Cel9B from Paenibacillus barcinonensis is a modular endoglucanase with the domain structure GH9-CBM3c-Fn3-CBM3b, consisting of a family nine catalytic module GH9, an auxiliary module CBM3c, a fibronectin-like module Fn3, and a functional cellulose binding module CBM3b. The whole cellulase Cel9B (E1) and two truncated forms of the enzyme that consist of the catalytic module linked to the auxiliary module, GH9-CBM3c (E2), and of the cellulose binding module of the enzyme, CBM3b (CBD), were applied to softwood dissolving pulp. The changes in the supramolecular structure and morphology of the fibres after the enzymatic treatment were evaluated by viscosimetry, X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). XRD studies provided the crystallite size, interplanar distances and crystallinity index of the samples before and after the enzymatic treatment. The treatment with cellulases E1 and E2 decreased the degree of polymerization and increased the crystallinity index of the pulp. Both E1 and E2 had a pronounced capacity for removing fuzz and improved the smoothness and surface appearance of the fibers, as shown by SEM. On the other hand, CBD proved to be less effective under the tested conditions. Moreover, the solubility of dissolving pulp in alkaline solutions has been evaluated as an indirect measure of cellulose accessibility. A notable enhancement in alkaline solubility of the samples treated with the cellulases was observed.     

Enzymatic hydrolysis of native cellulose nanofibrils and other cellulose model films: effect of surface structure

Model films of native cellulose nanofibrils, which contain both crystalline cellulose I and amorphous domains, were used to investigate the dynamics and activities of cellulase enzymes. The enzyme binding and degradation of nanofibril films were compared with those for other films of cellulose, namely, Langmuir-Schaefer and spin-coated regenerated cellulose, as well as cellulose nanocrystal cast films. Quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D) was used to monitor the changes in frequency and energy dissipation during incubation at varying enzyme concentrations and experimental temperatures. Structural and morphological changes of the cellulose films upon incubation with enzymes were evaluated by using atomic force microscopy. The QCM-D results revealed that the rate of enzymatic degradation of the nanofibril films was much faster compared to the other types of cellulosic films. Higher enzyme loads did not dramatically increase the already fast degradation rate. Real-time measurements of the coupled contributions of enzyme binding and hydrolytic reactions were fitted to an empirical model that closely described the cellulase activities. The hydrolytic potential of the cellulase mixture was found to be considerably affected by the nature of the substrates, especially their crystallinity and morphology. The implications of these observations are discussed in this report.     

Effects of cellulose nanofibrils on the structure and properties on PVA nanocomposites

A green method—joint mechanical grinding and high pressure homogenization—was used to defibrillate paper pulp into nanofibrils. The prepared cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) were then blended with PVA in an aqueous system to prepare transparent composite film. The size and morphology of the nanofibrils and their composites were observed, and the structure and properties were characterized. The results showed that CNFs are beneficial to improve the crystallinity, mechanical strength, Young’s modulus, T _g and thermal stability of the PVA matrix because of their high aspect ratio, crystallinity and good compatibility. Therefore, nano cellulosic fibrils were proven to be an effective reinforcing filler for the hydrophilic polymer matrix. Moreover, the green fabrication approaches will be helpful to build up biodegradable nanocomposites with wide applications in functional environmentally friendly materials.