title: Isolation and characterization of cellulose nanocrystals from spruce bark in a biorefinery perspective.
abstract: The present study reports for the first time the isolation of cellulose fibers and cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) from the bark of Norway spruce. The upgrading of bark cellulose to value-added products, such as CNCs, is part of the "bark biorefinery" concept. The removal of non-cellulosic constituents was monitored throughout the isolation process by detailed chemical composition analyses. The morphological investigation of the CNCs was performed using AFM and showed the presence of nanocrystals with an average length of 175.3 nm and a diameter of 2.8 nm, giving an aspect ratio of around 63. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses showed that the crystallinity index increased with successive treatments to reach a final value greater than 80% for CNCs. The thermal degradation of the isolated bark CNCs started at 190 °C. Spruce bark appeared to be a new promising industrial source of cellulose fibers and CNCs.
authors.affiliation: Division of Wood Chemistry and Pulp Technology, School of Chemical Science and Engineering, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Teknikringen 56-58, SE-10044 Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Myriam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Le Normand
authors.affiliation: Division of Wood Chemistry and Pulp Technology, School of Chemical Science and Engineering, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Teknikringen 56-58, SE-10044 Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Rosana
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Moriana
authors.affiliation: Division of Wood Chemistry and Pulp Technology, School of Chemical Science and Engineering, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Teknikringen 56-58, SE-10044 Stockholm, Sweden. Electronic address: monicaek@kth.se.
authors.forename: Monica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ek
mesh_terms: D002482:Cellulose / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006868:Hydrolysis; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D028222:Picea / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D024301:Plant Bark / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D014961:X-Ray Diffraction
chemical_list: D002482:Cellulose
keywords: Biorefinery; Cellulose nanocrystals; Picea abies; Spruce bark