Development of multifunctional sustainable packaging from acetylated cellulose micro-nanofibrils (CMNF)

• Published in: Carbohydrate polymer technologies and applications Vol. 7; p. 100421
• Main Authors: Salem, Khandoker Samaher, Debnath, Mrittika, Agate, Sachin, Arafat, Kazi Md.Yasin, Jameel, Hasan, Lucia, Lucian, Pal, Lokendra
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.06.2024; Elsevier
• Subjects: Acetylation; Biodegradability; Chemical modification; Food packaging; Nanocellulose; Water vapor transmission rate (WVTR); Food packaging; Nanocellulose; Chemical modification; Acetylation; Biodegradability; Water vapor transmission rate (WVTR)
• ISSN: 2666-8939; 2666-8939
• DOI: 10.1016/j.carpta.2024.100421

•Cellulose micro-nanofibrils (CMNF) production via mechanical and mild acetylation.•Acetylated CNF films showed high moisture barrier and oil and grease resistance.•Increased fibrillation with acetylation improved mechanical and weather resistance.•CMNF films showed soil biodegradability in simulated conditions within six weeks.•Developed sustainable films can be an effective replacement for single-use plastics. Cellulose micro-nanofibrils (CMNF) with different fibrillation levels were partially acetylated while preserving their morphological and native crystalline structure. The morphological changes due to fibrillation and chemical modification were observed using Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) and optical profilometry. The change in tensile and burst strength, barrier, and biodegradability profile were investigated which revealed that the mechanical properties of the unmodified CMNF films increased with increase in extent of fibrillation. However, the mechanical strength of the acetylated film decreased with the increase in degree of acetylation. The stretching or folding property of the film increased with the increase in both the fibrillation and acetylation. The contact angle value increased due to a higher degree of fibrillation and acetylation because they increased the hydrophobicity and consequently enhanced the air and water vapor resistance of the unmodified and modified CNF films. Furthermore, all films exhibited the highest resistance against oil and grease, and the biodegradability test substantiated that CNF films were compostable in soil. In total, this work expresses new pathways to enhance the barrier properties of biodegradable CNF films by regulating the degree of fibrillation and acetylation, thus can emerge as sustainable alternatives for packaging and agriculture applications. [Display omitted]