Optimization of reagent consumption in TEMPO-mediated oxidation of Eucalyptus cellulose to obtain cellulose nanofibers

Eucalyptus cellulose is usually pre-treated by oxidation with 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl (TEMPO), NaBr and NaClO at pH 10.5 and 25 °C before the mechanical process required to obtain cellulose nanofibers (CNFs). In this study, different aspects to improve the effectiveness and sustainability of the TEMPO-mediated oxidation are analyzed. The optimization was carried out at different reaction times by modifying both the concentration of the NaClO and the amount of the catalysts (TEMPO and NaBr). Results show that the carboxyl groups increased up to 1.1 mmol/g with 5 mmol NaClO/g after 50 min, and that the catalyst concentration can be reduced to 0.025 mmol TEMPO/g and 0.5 mmol NaBr/g to minimize costs while maintaining the high fibrillation degree of the CNFs. The kinetic of the reaction can be considered as zero-order with respect to NaClO, and as first order with respect to cellulose. As a result of this work, the catalyst doses are reduced up to 75% compared to the most widely used catalyst doses (0.1 mmol/g TEMPO and 1 mmol/g NaBr), obtaining highly fibrillated CNFs with a lower environmental impact. This reduction of catalyst doses will reduce the costs and facilitate the implementation of CNF production at industrial scale.

Graphical abstract