Premium
Isolation and Surface Modification of Nanocellulose: Necessity of Enzymes over Chemicals
Author(s) -
Afrin Sadaf,
Karim Zoheb
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
chembioeng reviews
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.089
H-Index - 22
ISSN - 2196-9744
DOI - 10.1002/cben.201600001
Subject(s) - nanocellulose , cellulosic ethanol , surface modification , cellulose , biomass (ecology) , isolation (microbiology) , nanotechnology , hazardous waste , environmentally friendly , biochemical engineering , pulp and paper industry , chemistry , materials science , chemical engineering , waste management , organic chemistry , engineering , ecology , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , oceanography , geology
Nanocellulose is an emerging sustainable biomaterial with exceptional physicochemical properties. It can be isolated from inexpensive renewable cellulosic biomass. Wood cellulose is the most extensively used biomass for the isolation of nanocellulose. Yet, owing to their hydrophilic nature, their utilization is restricted to applications involving hydrophilic or polar media, which limits their exploitation. With the presence of a large number of chemical functionalities within their structure, these building blocks provide a unique platform for significant surface modification through various methods. On the other hand, significantly used hazardous chemicals make the process environmentally unfriendly. Furthermore, recovery of used chemicals and toxicity of final products are the biggest challenges. To overcome these problems, the enzymatic approach is an emerging trend for isolation and surface modification of nanocellulose. This review assembles current knowledge in the research and development of nanocelluloses from cellulosic biomass and emphasizes the enzymatic routes developed so far for isolation, production, and functionalization.