Nanocellulose and Cellulose Making with Bio-Enzymes from Different Particle Sizes of Neosinocalamus Affinis

Abstract

Cellulose is one of the most abundant, widely distributed and abundant polysaccharides on earth, and is the most valuable natural renewable resource for human beings. In this study, three different particle sizes (250, 178, and 150 μm) of Neosinocalamus affinis cellulose were extracted from Neosinocalamus affinis powder using bio-enzyme digestion and prepared into nanocellulose (CNMs). The cellulose contents of 250, 178, and 150 μm particle sizes were 53.44%, 63.38%, and 74.08%, respectively; the crystallinity was 54.21%, 56.03% and 63.58%, respectively. The thermal stability of cellulose increased gradually with smaller particle sizes. The yields of CNMs for 250, 178, and 150 μm particle sizes were 14.27%, 15.44%, and 16.38%, respectively. The results showed that the Neosinocalamus affinis powder was successfully removed from lignin, hemicellulose, and impurities (pectin, resin, etc.) by the treatment of bio-enzyme A (ligninase:hemicellulose:pectinase = 1:1:1) combined with NH3·H2O and H2O2/CH3COOH. Extraction of cellulose from Neosinocalamus affinis using bio-enzyme A, the smaller the particle size of Neosinocalamus affinis powder, the more cellulose content extracted, the higher the crystallinity, the better the thermal stability, and the higher the purity. Subsequently, nanocellulose (CNMs) were prepared by using bio-enzyme B (cellulase:pectinase = 1:1). The CNMs prepared by bio-enzyme B showed a network structure and fibrous bundle shape. Therefore, the ones prepared in this study belong to cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs). This study provides a reference in the extraction of cellulose from bamboo using bio-enzymes and the preparation of nanocellulose. To a certain extent, the utilization of bamboo as a biomass material was improved.