Abstract
The use of agricultural waste and residues in composite materials is a potential high-value commercial application for underutilized renewable resources and provides alternative commercial markets to the agricultural industry. Cotton gin trash (CGT) and cotton gin motes (CGM) are underutilized low-value commodities that are attractive targets due to their high cellulose content; however, each contains various amounts of lignin, hemicellulose and other components that impede their utilization as commercial products. In this work, lignin-containing cellulose nanofibers (LCNFs) with gradient degrees of lignin content were prepared from CGT and CGM. Analyses showed the lignin content and other components affected the physical properties of LCNFs, modestly altering their thermal stability and crystallinity. The degree of polymerization (DP) was smaller after successive rounds of processing and was also dependent upon the source (CGT or CGM) with CGT providing nanofibers with a smaller DP than CGM. This translated into slightly different suspension viscoelastic behavior as determined by rheological measurements.
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Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank Al French for assistance with analysis of XRD patterns, H.N. Cheng and Catrina Ford for assistance with rheological measurements, Meen S. Koo for assistance preparing the nanofibers, Bruce Dien for assistance with the compositional analysis, and Dongmei Cao at the LSU Shared Instrument Facility. Additionally, the authors would like to thank the National Program Staff, the Mid-South Area Director, and the Center Director of the Agricultural Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture for providing the necessary support for the study presented here.
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This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors. This research was supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. Mention of trade names or commercial products in this publication is solely for the purpose of providing specific information and does not imply recommendation or endorsement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
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Jordan, J.H., Easson, M.W., Thompson, S. et al. Lignin-containing cellulose nanofibers with gradient lignin content obtained from cotton gin motes and cotton gin trash. Cellulose 28, 757–773 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10570-020-03549-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10570-020-03549-0