Lignocellulosic Biomass Waste-Derived Cellulose Nanocrystals and Carbon Nanomaterials: A Review

• Published in: International journal of molecular sciences Vol. 23; no. 8; p. 4310
• Main Authors: Magagula, Lindokuhle Precious, Masemola, Clinton Michael, Ballim, Muhammed As'ad, Tetana, Zikhona Nobuntu, Moloto, Nosipho, Linganiso, Ella Cebisa
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 13.04.2022; MDPI
• Subjects: Agricultural production; agricultural waste; Agricultural wastes; Biodegradable materials; Biomass; Carbon; Carbon - chemistry; carbon quantum dots; Caustic soda; Cellulose; Cellulose - chemistry; cellulose nanocrystals; Communication; Crystals; Economic development; Environmental management; Landfills; Lignin; Lignocellulose; lignocellulosic biomass; Morphology; Nanocrystals; Nanomaterials; Nanoparticles - chemistry; Nanotechnology; Quantum dots; Raw materials; Review; Sodium; Sugarcane; lignocellulosic biomass; agricultural waste; carbon quantum dots; cellulose nanocrystals
• ISSN: 1422-0067; 1661-6596; 1422-0067
• DOI: 10.3390/ijms23084310

Rapid population and economic growth, excessive use of fossil fuels, and climate change have contributed to a serious turn towards environmental management and sustainability. The agricultural sector is a big contributor to (lignocellulosic) waste, which accumulates in landfills and ultimately gets burned, polluting the environment. In response to the current climate-change crisis, policymakers and researchers are, respectively, encouraging and seeking ways of creating value-added products from generated waste. Recently, agricultural waste has been regularly appearing in articles communicating the production of a range of carbon and polymeric materials worldwide. The extraction of cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) and carbon quantum dots (CQDs) from biomass waste partially occupies some of the waste-recycling and management space. Further, the new materials generated from this waste promise to be effective and competitive in emerging markets. This short review summarizes recent work in the area of CNCs and CQDs synthesised from biomass waste. Synthesis methods, properties, and prospective application of these materials are summarized. Current challenges and the benefits of using biomass waste are also discussed.