Rheological Properties Comparison of Aqueous Dispersed Nanocellulose Derived from a Novel Pathway-produced Microcrystalline Cellulose or by Conventional Methods

Abstract

Novel-produced never-dried and dried microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) was previously compared with a commercial MCC. The novel MCC was shown to be a suitable starting material for producing cellulose nanofibrils, in turn having similar molecular weight Mw, crystallinity, and particle size comparable to those from sequentially enzymatic and mechanically treated softwood sulphite pulp, but at lower cost. The study here presents a rheological parameterisation of the aqueous suspension throughout the process, aimed at delivering a correlation between specific surface area, at equal material particle size, and adsorptive coupling between neighbouring cellulose particles and interstitial water under flow. We conclude that combining dynamic viscosity with an independent measure of particle size provides a suitable quality control of MCC-derived cellulose nanofibrils, obviating the need for individual property-raw material relationships to be evaluated, and this principle may provide a generalised method for use in the production of cellulose nanofibrils.

Keywords

• microcrystalline cellulose
• micro nanofibrillar cellulose
• nanocellulose
• cellulose-water interaction under flow
• quality parameterisation
• surface area-rheology response