Preparation and characterization of lignin-containing nanofibrillar cellulose

Cellulosic nanofibrillar structures had received much attention because of its wide range of distribution, renewable and environmentally benign nature and perfect mechanical properties. However, as an important component of plant fibres, lignin was always removed in paper making process. The waste water contained lignin had caused a serious environmental problem. So it was important to study the application of lignin. In this study, different lignincontaining Kraft wood pulps were obtained after different chemical treatments. The raw materials were pre-treated through the process of acid hydrolysis and then the pulps were homogenized by a high-pressure homogenizer. After the above processes, nanofibers of different lignin-containing cellulose samples dispersed in deionised water were obtained. The samples were characterized by XRD, TEM and thermal analysis. The results obviously showed the nanosize and crystallinity of different lignin-containing cellulose through the TEM and XRD analysis. The hydrophilicity of lignin-containing nanofibrillar cellulose samples were evaluated by contact angle measurements. The experimental results indicated that the lignin-containing nanofibrillar cellulose has hydrophobic property to some extent. Click here and insert your abstract text. (C) 2012 Selection and/or peer-review under responsibility of Basel Convention Coordinating Centre for Asia and the Pacific and National Center of Solid Waste Management, Ministry of Environmental Protection of China.