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The Production and Characterization of Cellulose Nanofibrils

  • Author / Creator
    Gao, Yang
  • In this thesis, a cellulose nanofibril (CNF) preparation method in the biorefinery platform is described, and the product is characterized and compared to commercially available varieties. CNF is a bundle of cellulose microfibrils with diameter in 5-100 nanometer range and length reaching to micrometer range. The development of value-added co-products is critical for the economic viability of biorefineries which convert biomass to commodity fuels. The raw materials used are two pulps from the NSERC Bioconversion Network. The biomass was converted to CNF by shear mixing and multiple mechanical shearing through a microfluidizer. The produced CNF’s viscous properties, morphology and stability were characterized and compared against two commercially available varieties. The CNF produced from organosolv pulp is a high surface area material with superior viscous properties, and it has great potential in viscosity modification applications.

  • Subjects / Keywords
  • Graduation date
    Fall 2013
  • Type of Item
    Thesis
  • Degree
    Master of Science
  • DOI
    https://doi.org/10.7939/R3ZW1915G
  • License
    This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Libraries with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.