Tag Archives: nanocellulose (NC)

Nanocellulose from pineapple waste for soil-saving desert agriculture

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The last time I had a pineapple and nanocellulose story it was from Brazil (see my March 28, 2011 posting). This September 23, 2025 news item in Nanowerk describes some more recent research, Note: Links have been removed,

Food waste has long been a global challenge, but a new study shows it may also be part of the solution to desertification. Published in the Journal of Bioresources and Bioproducts (“Evaluating Nanocellulose from Food Waste as A Functional Amendment for Sandy Soils: Linking Fiber Structure to Water Dynamics, Soil Mechanics, and Plant-Microbes Interactions”), the research demonstrates how pineapple peels, typically discarded in large quantities by the juice and hospitality industries, can be transformed into nanocellulose fibers that dramatically improve the properties of sandy soils.

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Caption: Study shows food waste-derived nanocellulose boosts sandy soil water retention, nutrient storage, and plant survival in arid regions Credit: Department of Chemical Engineering, Khalifa University of Science & Technology, Abu Dhabi 127788, United Arab Emirates

A September 22, 2025 Journal of Bioresources and Bioproducts (?) press release on EurekAlert, which originated the news item, provides more detail,

Led by an international team of scientists, the study focused on converting pineapple peels into fibers through mechanochemical treatments including shredding, alkali processing, bleaching, and ball milling. The resulting fibers, ranging from macro to nanoscale, were then tested in three types of desert sands commonly found in the United Arab Emirates: lithic, quartz-rich, and calcareous sands.

The results were striking. Soils amended with nanocellulose fibers exhibited up to 32.7% greater water-holding capacity and a 58% reduction in permeability compared to untreated sand. Evaporation rates slowed by over half, while soil cohesion and compressive strength improved four-fold in some cases. Importantly, nutrient retention also increased, with phosphorus retention nearly doubling in fiber-treated sands.

Plant growth experiments using cherry tomato seedlings further validated the amendments’ benefits. At moderate concentrations (0.25–1% fiber by weight), plants showed higher survival rates, more leaves, and healthier development compared to controls. However, excessive fiber content (3%) reduced survival, underscoring the need for optimized application levels.

Beyond agricultural performance, the study also assessed the biodegradation of fiber-reinforced soils. While compost-rich environments promoted microbial activity, nanocellulose fibers in sandy soils remained structurally stable, indicating their durability under arid conditions. This resilience could ensure long-term benefits for desert agriculture.

The findings align with broader circular bioeconomy goals, suggesting that food waste can be repurposed into high-value agricultural inputs rather than ending up in landfills. With the Middle East and North Africa importing more food than they produce, the approach offers a sustainable way to recycle organic residues into resources for local farming.

By linking fiber structure to soil mechanics, water dynamics, and plant-microbe interactions, the research provides a roadmap for restoring desert soils and improving food security in arid climates. As the authors note, future work should refine soil-water retention models and explore scaling the process to integrate other agricultural by-products, paving the way for broader adoption in sustainable land management.

Here’s a link to and a citation for the paper,

Evaluating nanocellulose from food waste as a functional amendment for sandy soils: Linking fiber structure to water dynamics, soil mechanics, and plant-microbes interactions by M-Haidar Ali Dali, Mohamed Hamid Salim, Malak AbuZaid, Maryam Omar Subhi Qassem , Faisal Al Marzooqi, Andrea Ceriani, Alessandro Decarlis, Ludovic Francis Dumée, Blaise Leopold Tardy. Journal of Bioresources and Bioproducts Volume 10, Issue 4, November 2025, Pages 513-529 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jobab.2025.09.003 Available online 20 September 2025, Version of Record 21 November 2025

This paper is open access.

Nanocellulose: a cow dung story

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Canadian nanocellulose efforts are usually focused on its extraction from wood. Other countries have often focused on extraction from various fruits and vegetables. Cow dung or cow manure as a source is a first for this blog.

A May 7, 2025 news item on ScienceDaily announces nanocellulose extraction from cow manure,

A new technique to extract tiny cellulose strands from cow dung and turn them into manufacturing-grade cellulose, currently used to make everything from surgical masks to food packaging, has been developed by researchers from UCL [University College London] and Edinburgh Napier University.

The study, published in The Journal of Cleaner Production, describes the new ‘pressurised spinning’ innovation and its potential to create cellulose materials more cheaply and cleanly than some current manufacturing methods, using a waste product from the dairy farming industry, cow dung, as the raw material.

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A May 7, 2025 University College London (UCL) press release (also on EurekAlert), which originated the news item, provides more information and a pun in the headline,

Feat of ‘dung-gineering’ turns cow manure into one of world’s most used materials

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The advance is the first time that manufacturing-grade cellulose has been derived from animal waste and is a prime example of circular economy, which aims to minimise waste and pollution by reusing and repurposing resources wherever possible.

The researchers say that implementing the technology would be a win-win situation for manufacturers, dairy farmers and the environment.

Cellulose is one of the world’s most commonly used manufacturing materials. Found naturally in the cell walls of plants, it was first used to create synthetic materials in the mid-19th century, including the original material used in photographic film, celluloid.

Today it can be found in everything from cling film to surgical masks, paper products, textiles, foods and pharmaceuticals. Though it can be extracted organically, it is also often produced synthetically using toxic chemicals.

Pressurised spinning (or pressurised gyration) is a manufacturing technology that uses the forces of pressure and rotation simultaneously to spin fibres, beads, ribbons, meshes and films from a liquid jet of soft matter. The multiple award-winning technology was invented in 2013 by a team from UCL Mechanical Engineering led by Professor Mohan Edirisinghe.

Professor Edirisinghe, the senior author of the study, said: “Our initial question was whether it could be possible to extract the tiny fragments of cellulose present in cow manure, which is left over from the plants the animals have eaten, and fashion it into manufacturing-grade cellulose materials.

“Extracting the fragments from dung was relatively straightforward using mild chemical reactions and homogenisation, which we then turned into a liquid solution. But when we tried to turn the fragments into fibres using pressurised spinning technology, it didn’t work.

“By a process of trial and error, we figured out that using a horizontal rather than a vertical vessel containing surface nozzles and injecting the jet of liquid into still or flowing water caused cellulose fibres to form. We were then able to change the consistency of the liquid to create other forms, such as meshes, films and ribbons, each of which have different manufacturing applications.

“We’re still not quite sure why the process works, but the important thing is that it does. It will also be fairly easy to scale up using existing pressurised spinning technology, the vessels for which were designed and built in the UCL Mechanical Engineering workshop.”

The new technique, called horizontal nozzle-pressurised spinning, is an energy efficient process that doesn’t require the high voltages of other fibre production techniques such as electrospinning.

The team say that adapting existing pressurised spinning machines to the new process should be relatively straightforward. The greater challenge is likely to be the logistics of sourcing and transporting the raw material, cow dung, but that the environmental and commercial benefits of doing so would be significant.

Ms Yanqi Dai, first author of the study from UCL Mechanical Engineering, said: “Dairy farm waste such as cow manure is a threat to the environment and humans, especially through waterway pollution, the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere when it decomposes, and the spread of pathogens. It is also often a burden on farmers to dispose of properly.

“Horizontal nozzle-pressurised spinning could be a huge boost to the global dairy farming industry, by putting this problematic waste product to good use and perhaps creating a new source of income.”

The research team is currently seeking opportunities to work with dairy farmers to take advantage of the technology and scale it up.

Animal waste is a growing problem globally. Research in 2019 estimated that the amount of animal waste is due to increase by 40% between 2003 and 2030 to at least five billion tons, with many farms producing more manure than they can legitimately use as fertiliser. This waste often finds its way into water, where it can have a devastating effect on ecosystems and even lead to disease in humans.

Core pressurised spinning research at UCL was made possible by grants awarded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).

I have two links to the paper and a citation for it,

Harnessing cow manure waste for nanocellulose extraction and sustainable small-structure manufacturing (PDF) or journal by Yanqi Dai Dongyang Sun, Dominic O’Rourke, Sasireka Velusamy, Senthilarasu Sundaram, Mohan Edirisinghe. Journal of Cleaner Production Volume 509, 1 June 2025, 145530 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2025.145530 Creative Commons Licence: CC BY 4.0

This paper is open access.

Cellulose-based wound sutures

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Caption: Advancing Surgical Sutures: The Promise of Cellulose-Based Materials. Credit: CAS Key Laboratory of Biobased Materials, Qingdao New Energy Shandong Laboratory, System Integration Engineering Center, Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266101, China

A January 22, 2025 Journal of Bioresources and Bioproducts news release on EurekAlert announces a review of cellulose-based (including nanocellulose) wound sutures,

A recent review published in the Journal of Bioresources and Bioproducts examines the state of cellulose-based sutures, focusing on materials, fabrication methods, and application performance. The study underscores the potential of these sutures as eco-friendly alternatives to traditional synthetic sutures, with significant advancements in biocompatibility and biodegradability.

Surgical sutures are critical in wound closure and healing, with traditional materials like cotton and synthetic polymers dominating the market. However, the rise of sustainable and biocompatible materials has led researchers to explore cellulose-based sutures as a viable alternative. A comprehensive review published in the Journal of Bioresources and Bioproducts provides an in-depth look at the current state of cellulose-based sutures, their fabrication methods, and potential applications.

Cellulose, the most abundant natural polymer on Earth, offers several advantages for surgical sutures, including non-toxicity, biocompatibility, and mechanical strength. The review covers various types of cellulose-based sutures, including natural cellulose, nanocellulose, and regenerated cellulose. Each type offers unique properties, with nanocellulose showing particular promise due to its high strength and flexibility. For instance, cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) have been used to create sutures with tensile strengths comparable to traditional materials, while maintaining excellent biocompatibility.

The review also highlights innovative fabrication methods such as wet spinning and interfacial polyelectrolyte complexation (IPC) spinning. Wet spinning is a traditional method used to create strong and flexible fibers, while IPC spinning allows for the creation of composite fibers with enhanced properties. These methods enable the production of sutures with tailored mechanical properties, biodegradability, and antibacterial characteristics.

One of the key challenges identified in the review is the need for consistent quality and improved biocompatibility in cellulose-based sutures. While natural cellulose fibers like cotton have been used historically, their quality can vary, leading to inconsistent performance. In contrast, nanocellulose and oxidized regenerated cellulose (ORC) offer more uniform properties and can be engineered for specific applications. For example, ORC sutures have demonstrated significant biodegradability, losing over 50% of their strength within 14 days, making them suitable for absorbable sutures.

The review also emphasizes the importance of multifunctional sutures that integrate antibacterial properties and growth factors to enhance wound healing. For instance, CNF/chitosan composite sutures have shown excellent antibacterial activity against common pathogens like Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, while maintaining high cell viability in vitro and in vivo.

Looking ahead, the review suggests that cellulose-based sutures could become the next generation of high-end medical sutures, driven by advancements in materials science and a growing focus on sustainability. Future research should focus on optimizing fabrication processes, enhancing mechanical properties, and conducting clinical trials to validate their performance.

Here’s a link to and a citation for the paper,

Cellulose-based suture: State of art, challenge, and future outlook by Meiyan Wu, Lei Ding, Xiaoying Bai, Yuxiang Cao, Mehdi Rahmaninia, Bing Li, Bin Li. Journal of Bioresources and Bioproducts Available online 15 December 2024 In Press, Corrected Proof DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jobab.2024.11.006

This paper is open access.

Aerogels that are 3D printed from nanocellulose

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The one on the far right looks a bit like a frog (to me),

Caption: Complexity and lightness: Empa researchers have developed a 3D printing process for biodegradable cellulose aerogel. Credit: Empa

An April 4, 2024 Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (EMPA) press release (also on EurekAlert) describes some interesting possibilities for nanocellulose,

At first glance, biodegradable materials, inks for 3D printing and aerogels don’t seem to have much in common. All three have great potential for the future, however: “green” materials do not pollute the environment, 3D printing can produce complex structures without waste, and ultra-light aerogels are excellent heat insulators. Empa researchers have now succeeded in combining all these advantages in a single material. And their cellulose-based, 3D-printable aerogel can do even more.

The miracle material was created under the leadership of Deeptanshu Sivaraman, Wim Malfait and Shanyu Zhao from Empa’s Building Energy Materials and Components laboratory, in collaboration with the Cellulose & Wood Materials and Advanced Analytical Technologies laboratories as well as the Center for X-ray Analytics. Together with other researchers, Zhao and Malfait had already developed a process for printing silica aerogels in 2020. No trivial task: Silica aerogels are foam-like materials, highly open porous and brittle. Before the Empa development, shaping them into complex forms had been pretty much impossible. “It was the logical next step to apply our printing technology to mechanically more robust bio-based aerogels,” says Zhao.

The researchers chose the most common biopolymer on Earth as their starting material: cellulose. Various nanoparticles can be obtained from this plant-based material using simple processing steps. Doctoral student Deeptanshu Sivaraman used two types of such nanoparticles – cellulose nanocrystals and cellulose nanofibers – to produce the “ink” for printing the bio-aerogel.

Over 80 percent water

The flow characteristics of the ink are crucial in 3D printing: Tt must be viscous enough in order to hold a three-dimensional shape before solidification. At the same time, however, it should liquefy under pressure so that it can flow through the nozzle. With the combination of nanocrystals and nanofibers, Sivaraman succeeded in doing just that: The long nanofibers give the ink a high viscosity, while the rather short crystals ensure that it has shear thinning effect so that it flows more easily during extrusion.

In total, the ink contains around twelve percent cellulose – and 88 percent water. “We were able to achieve the required properties with cellulose alone, without any additives or fillers,” says Sivaraman. This is not only good news for the biodegradability of the final aerogel products, but also for its heat-insulating properties. To turn the ink into an aerogel after printing, the researchers replace the pore solvent water first with ethanol and then with air, all while maintaining shape fidelity. “The less solid matter the ink contains, the more porous the resulting aerogel,” explains Zhao.

This high porosity and the small size of the pores make all aerogels extremely effective heat insulators. However, the researchers have identified a unique property in the printed cellulose aerogel: It is anisotropic. This means its strength and thermal conductivity are direction-dependent. “The anisotropy is partly due to the orientation of the nanocellulose fibers and partly due to the printing process itself,” says Malfait. This allows the researchers to control in which axis the printed aerogel piece should be particularly stable or particularly insulating. Such precisely crafted insulating components could be used in microelectronics, where heat should only be conducted in a certain direction.

A lot of potential applications in medicine

Although the original research project, which was funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF), was primarily interested in thermal insulation, the researchers quickly saw another area of application for their printable bio-aerogel: medicine. As it consists of pure cellulose, the new aerogel is biocompatible with living tissues and cells. Its porous structure is able to absorb drugs and then release them into the body over a long period of time. And 3D printing offers the possibility of producing precise shapes that could, for instance, serve as scaffolds for cell growth or as implants.

A particular advantage is that the printed aerogel can be rehydrated and re-dried several times after the initial drying process without losing its shape or porous structure. In practical applications, this would make the material easier to handle: It could be stored and transported in dry form and only be soaked in water shortly before use. When dry, it is not only light and convenient to handle, but also less susceptible to bacteria – and does not have to be elaborately protected from drying out. “If you want to add active ingredients to the aerogel, this can be done in the final rehydration step immediately before use,” says Sivaraman. “Then you don’t run the risk of the medication losing its effectiveness over time or if it is stored incorrectly.”

The researchers are also working on drug delivery from aerogels in a follow-up project – with less focus on 3D printing for now. Shanyu Zhao is collaborating with researchers from Germany and Spain on aerogels made from other biopolymers, such as alginate and chitosan, derived from algae and chitin respectively. Meanwhile, Wim Malfait wants to further improve the thermal insulation of cellulose aerogels. And Deeptanshu Sivaraman has completed his doctorate and has since joined the Empa spin-off Siloxene AG, which creates new hybrid molecules based on silicon.

Fascinating work and here’s a link to and a citation for the paper,

Additive Manufacturing of Nanocellulose Aerogels with Structure-Oriented Thermal, Mechanical, and Biological Properties by Deeptanshu Sivaraman, Yannick Nagel, Gilberto Siqueira, Parth Chansoria, Jonathan Avaro, Antonia Neels, Gustav Nyström, Zhaoxia Sun, Jing Wang, Zhengyuan Pan, Ana Iglesias-Mejuto, Inés Ardao, Carlos A. García-González, Mengmeng Li, Tingting Wu, Marco Lattuada, Wim J. Malfait, Shanyu Zhao. Advanced Science DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202307921 First published: 13 March 2024

This paper is open access.

You can find Siloxene AG here.

2D-nanocellulose and electricity

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The 2D trend seems to have swept into the world of nanocellulose materials. An Oct. 13, 2016 news item on Nanowerk describes work in the field piezoelectronics as driven by 2D nanocellulose materials (Note: A link has been removed),

Researchers from ICN2 [Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology] Phononic and Photonic Nanostructures Group publish in Scientific Reports (“Orthotropic Piezoelectricity in 2D Nanocellulose”) findings providing the basis for new electromechanical designs using 2D-nanocellulose. In a longer-term perspective, the reinterpretation of electrical features for hydrogen bonds here introduced could pave the way in the understanding of life-essential molecules and events.

An Oct. 11, 2016 ICN2 press release, which originated the news item, provides more information about this area of research,

In the next coming years nanocellulose (NC) would attract lot of attention from industrial researchers (market value is estimated to be 530 M$ worldwide by 2020)(1). The process of development and functionalization of NC materials is being promising because of their well-known unique optomechanical features and green nature. However, there is still a niche for applications based on NC electric-response. In this scenario, the results published in Scientific Reports with the participation of ICN2 researchers, would set up foundations for new strategies intended to drive novel applications based on 2D-NC with a predicted piezoelectric-response ~ pm V-1. This result could rank NC at the level of currently used bulk piezoelectrics like α-quartz and most recent 2D materials like MoSe2 or doped graphene. The first author of the article is Dr Yamila García, and the last one ICREA Research prof. Dr Clivia M. Sotomayor-Torres, Group leader of the ICN2 Phononic and Photonic Nanostructures Group.

“We are too big” (2). It is one of the main limitations to do nanotechnology as Richard Feynman pointed out in 1959. As a contribution in paving the way to overcome this restriction, it is introduced a theoretical framework for the investigation of electric field profiles with interatomic resolution and thus to understand the fundamentals of the electromechanical coupling at the nanoscale. Remarkably, the mean-field descriptor obtained with the methodology described in the manuscript would also complete the latest definition of hydrogen bonds stated by IUPAC since it is the first effective approach in quantifying the electrical nature of such interactions.

An “atom by atom” (2) understanding of electrical forces managing directional bonds is needed if we plan to engineer materials by means of highly selected nanoscale oriented mechanisms. So then, deepening on the understanding of 2D-NC as a piezoelectric system managed by electroactive and well-distinguishable HB  could facilitate new openings for nanotechnologies  community intended to progress on NC applications, i.e. straightforwardly introducing electronic-base sensing and actuating applications. Looking to the future, areas like molecular biology or genetic engineering would be benefited by the new contributions on the understanding of electrical forces within life-essential hydrogen bonds.

(1) Nanocellulose (Nano-crystalline Cellulose, Nano-fibrillated Cellulose and Bacterial Nanocellulose) Market for Composites, Oil & Gas, Paper Processing, Paints & Coatings, and Other Applications: Global Industry Perspective, Comprehensive Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Segment, Trends and Forecast, 2015 – 2021.

(2) “The principles of physics, as far as I can see, do not speak against the possibility of manoeuvring things atom by atom. It is not an attempt to violate any laws; it is something, in principle, that can be done; but in practice, it has not been done because we are too big.” Richard Feynman, 1959

Here’s a link to and a citation for the paper,

Orthotropic Piezoelectricity in 2D Nanocellulose by Y. García, Yasser B. Ruiz-Blanco, Yovani Marrero-Ponce & C. M. Sotomayor-Torres. Scientific Reports 6, Article number: 34616 (2016) doi:10.1038/srep34616 Published online: 06 October 2016

This paper is open access.