Cellulose nanocrystals （CNCs） of rod-like shape were prepared from degreased cotton using sulfuric acid hydrolysis. The obtained CNC suspension was neutralized using a sodium hydroxide solution to remove the...Cellulose nanocrystals （CNCs） of rod-like shape were prepared from degreased cotton using sulfuric acid hydrolysis. The obtained CNC suspension was neutralized using a sodium hydroxide solution to remove the residual sulfuric acid and improve the thermal stability of the CNC particles. Then, poly（ethylene oxide） （PEO） was employed to modify the nanocrystals through entanglement and physical adsorption. The goal was to further improve the thermal stability and weaken the hydrophilicity of CNCs. Original and modifed CNCs were dosed into a polylactic acid （PLA） matrix to prepare nanocomposites using a hot compression process. Results of the thermogravimetric analysis showed that the initial thermal decomposition temperature of the modifed CNCs showed a 120℃ improvement compared to the original CNCs. That is, the thermal stability of the modified CNCs improved because of their shielding and wrapping by a PEO layer on their surface. Results from scanning electron microscopy and ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry showed that the compatibility of the modifed CNCs with organic PLA improved, which was attributed to the compatibility of the PEO chains adsorbed on the surface of the CNCs. Finally, the results of tensile tests indicated a significant improvement in terms of breaking strength and elongation at the break point.展开更多
Recently, increasing interest has been focused on the hydrolysis of carbohydrates to monosaccharides, among which, glucose and xylose as typical platform sugars can be used to produce chemicals and biofuels. As hetero...Recently, increasing interest has been focused on the hydrolysis of carbohydrates to monosaccharides, among which, glucose and xylose as typical platform sugars can be used to produce chemicals and biofuels. As heterogeneous catalysts, solid acids have gained extensive attention for biomass biorefinery and could replace the conventional process owing to their excellent properties, including acceptable acidity and easy separation. In particular, biochar-based solid acids derived from biomass are promising for biomass conversion owing to the low-cost of feedstocks and the simple preparation procedure. Herein, we attempt to provide a critical overview of biochar-based solid acids for hydrolysis of carbohydrates into glucose and xylose. The preparation methods and properties of biochar-based catalysts as well as the influence of their properties on catalytic performance were discussed in detail. We also highlight the major challenges facing the use of biochar-based solid acids for carbohydrate hydrolysis.展开更多
基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant Nos. 31570578 and 31270632)the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (grant No. JUSRP51622A)the State Key Laboratory of Pulp and Paper Engineering (grant No. 201809)
文摘Cellulose nanocrystals （CNCs） of rod-like shape were prepared from degreased cotton using sulfuric acid hydrolysis. The obtained CNC suspension was neutralized using a sodium hydroxide solution to remove the residual sulfuric acid and improve the thermal stability of the CNC particles. Then, poly（ethylene oxide） （PEO） was employed to modify the nanocrystals through entanglement and physical adsorption. The goal was to further improve the thermal stability and weaken the hydrophilicity of CNCs. Original and modifed CNCs were dosed into a polylactic acid （PLA） matrix to prepare nanocomposites using a hot compression process. Results of the thermogravimetric analysis showed that the initial thermal decomposition temperature of the modifed CNCs showed a 120℃ improvement compared to the original CNCs. That is, the thermal stability of the modified CNCs improved because of their shielding and wrapping by a PEO layer on their surface. Results from scanning electron microscopy and ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry showed that the compatibility of the modifed CNCs with organic PLA improved, which was attributed to the compatibility of the PEO chains adsorbed on the surface of the CNCs. Finally, the results of tensile tests indicated a significant improvement in terms of breaking strength and elongation at the break point.
基金supported by grants from the Program for National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.21576103)the Guangdong Program for Support of Top-notch Young Professionals(No.2016TQ03Z585)the Guangzhou Science and Technology Plan Project(No.201707010059)
文摘Recently, increasing interest has been focused on the hydrolysis of carbohydrates to monosaccharides, among which, glucose and xylose as typical platform sugars can be used to produce chemicals and biofuels. As heterogeneous catalysts, solid acids have gained extensive attention for biomass biorefinery and could replace the conventional process owing to their excellent properties, including acceptable acidity and easy separation. In particular, biochar-based solid acids derived from biomass are promising for biomass conversion owing to the low-cost of feedstocks and the simple preparation procedure. Herein, we attempt to provide a critical overview of biochar-based solid acids for hydrolysis of carbohydrates into glucose and xylose. The preparation methods and properties of biochar-based catalysts as well as the influence of their properties on catalytic performance were discussed in detail. We also highlight the major challenges facing the use of biochar-based solid acids for carbohydrate hydrolysis.
