Multifunctional Bioplastics Inspired by Wood Composition: Effect of Hydrolyzed Lignin Addition to Xylan-Cellulose Matrices.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Tedeschi G
PROVIDER: S-EPMC7993636 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:Waterlogged archaeological wood comes from submerged archaeological sites (in lake, sea, river, or wetland) or from land waterlogged sites. Even if the wooden object seems to have maintained the original size and shape, the wood is more or less severely decayed because of chemical and biological factors which modify the normal ratio of cellulose and lignin in the cell wall. Drying procedures are necessary for the musealization but potentially cause severe shrinkages and collapses. The conservation practices focus not only on removing water from wood but also on substituting it with materials able to consolidate the degraded wood cell walls like polymers (e.g., PEG), sugars (e.g., lactitol), or resins (e.g., Kauramin). In the present work three different nano-scale consolidants were tested: lignin nanoparticles (LNPs) obtained form beech wood via a non-solvent method involving dialysis; bacterial nanocellulose (BC) obtained from cultures fed with agro-alimentary waste; cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) chemically extracted from native cellulose. Waterlogged archaeological wood samples of different species (oak, elm, stone pine, and silver fir) characterized by different levels of degradation were impregnated with the consolidants. The treatments efficiency was evaluated in terms of macroscopic observation of treated samples, anti-shrink efficiency (ASE) and equilibrium moisture content (EMC). The results obtained for the three consolidants showed substantial differences: LNPs and CNCs penetrated only about a millimeter inside the treated wood, while BC formed a compact layer on the surface of the cell walls throughout the thickness of the samples. In spite of successful BC penetration, physical evaluation of treatment efficiency showed that BC nanoparticles did not obtain a satisfying consolidation of the material. Based on the reported results more focused test protocols are optimized for future consolidation experiments.
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Project description:Cellulose materials and products are frequently affected by environmental factors such as light, temperature, and humidity. Simulated UV irradiation, heat, and moisture exposure were comprehensively used to characterize changes in cellulose nanopaper (NP) tensile properties. For the preparation of NP, high-purity cellulose from old, unused filter paper waste was used. Lignin and xylan were used as sustainable green interface engineering modifiers for NP due to their structural compatibility, low price, nontoxic nature, and abundance as a by-product of biomass processing, as well as their ability to protect cellulose fibers from UV irradiation. Nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC) suspension was obtained by microfluidizing cellulose suspension, and NP was produced by casting films from water suspensions. The use of filler from 1 to 30 wt% significantly altered NP properties. All nanopapers were tested for their sensitivity to water humidity, which reduced mechanical properties from 10 to 40% depending on the saturation level. Xylan addition showed a significant increase in the specific elastic modulus and specific strength by 1.4- and 2.8-fold, respectively. Xylan-containing NPs had remarkable resistance to UV irradiation, retaining 50 to 90% of their initial properties. Lignin-modified NPs resulted in a decreased mechanical performance due to the particle structure of the filler and the agglomeration process, but it was compensated by good property retention and enhanced elongation. The UV oxidation process of the NP interface was studied with UV-Vis and FTIR spectroscopy, which showed that the degradation of lignin and xylan preserves a cellulose fiber structure. Scanning electron microscopy images revealed the structural formation of the interface and supplemented understanding of UV aging impact on the surface and penetration depth in the cross-section. The ability to overcome premature aging in environmental factors can significantly benefit the wide adaption of NP in food packaging and functional applications.
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Project description:BackgroundLignocellulose from fast growing hardwood species is a preferred source of polysaccharides for advanced biofuels and "green" chemicals. However, the extensive acetylation of hardwood xylan hinders lignocellulose saccharification by obstructing enzymatic xylan hydrolysis and causing inhibitory acetic acid concentrations during microbial sugar fermentation. To optimize lignocellulose for cost-effective saccharification and biofuel production, an acetyl xylan esterase AnAXE1 from Aspergillus niger was introduced into aspen and targeted to cell walls.ResultsAnAXE1-expressing plants exhibited reduced xylan acetylation and grew normally. Without pretreatment, their lignocellulose yielded over 25% more glucose per unit mass of wood (dry weight) than wild-type plants. Glucose yields were less improved (+7%) after acid pretreatment, which hydrolyses xylan. The results indicate that AnAXE1 expression also reduced the molecular weight of xylan, and xylan-lignin complexes and/or lignin co-extracted with xylan, increased cellulose crystallinity, altered the lignin composition, reducing its syringyl to guaiacyl ratio, and increased lignin solubility in dioxane and hot water. Lignin-associated carbohydrates became enriched in xylose residues, indicating a higher content of xylo-oligosaccharides.ConclusionsThis work revealed several changes in plant cell walls caused by deacetylation of xylan. We propose that deacetylated xylan is partially hydrolyzed in the cell walls, liberating xylo-oligosaccharides and their associated lignin oligomers from the cell wall network. Deacetylating xylan thus not only increases its susceptibility to hydrolytic enzymes during saccharification but also changes the cell wall architecture, increasing the extractability of lignin and xylan and facilitating saccharification.
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Project description:Wood formation in trees is a dynamic process that is strongly affected by environmental factors. However, the impact of ozone on wood is poorly documented. The objective of this study was to assess the effects of ozone on wood formation by focusing on the two major wood components, cellulose and lignin, and analysing any anatomical modifications. Young hybrid poplars (Populus tremula × alba) were cultivated under different ozone concentrations (50, 100, 200, and 300 l l(-1)). As upright poplars usually develop tension wood in a non-set pattern, the trees were bent in order to induce tension wood formation on the upper side of the stem and normal or opposite wood on the lower side. Biosynthesis of cellulose and lignin (enzymes and RNA levels), together with cambial growth, decreased in response to ozone exposure. The cellulose to lignin ratio was reduced, suggesting that cellulose biosynthesis was more affected than that of lignin. Tension wood was generally more altered than opposite wood, especially at the anatomical level. Tension wood may be more susceptible to reduced carbon allocation to the stems under ozone exposure. These results suggested a coordinated regulation of cellulose and lignin deposition to sustain mechanical strength under ozone. The modifications of the cellulose to lignin ratio and wood anatomy could allow the tree to maintain radial growth while minimizing carbon cost.
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Project description:Optically transparent wood, combining optical and mechanical performance, is an emerging new material for light-transmitting structures in buildings with the aim of reducing energy consumption. One of the main obstacles for transparent wood fabrication is delignification, where around 30?wt?% of wood tissue is removed to reduce light absorption and refractive index mismatch. This step is time consuming and not environmentally benign. Moreover, lignin removal weakens the wood structure, limiting the fabrication of large structures. A green and industrially feasible method has now been developed to prepare transparent wood. Up to 80?wt?% of lignin is preserved, leading to a stronger wood template compared to the delignified alternative. After polymer infiltration, a high-lignin-content transparent wood with transmittance of 83?%, haze of 75?%, thermal conductivity of 0.23?W?mK-1 , and work-tofracture of 1.2?MJ?m-3 (a magnitude higher than glass) was obtained. This transparent wood preparation method is efficient and applicable to various wood species. The transparent wood obtained shows potential for application in energy-saving buildings.
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Project description:In current times, CO2 capture and lightweight energy storage are receiving significant attention and will be vital functions in next-generation materials. Porous carbonaceous materials have great potential in these areas, whereas most of the developed carbon materials still have significant limitations, such as nonrenewable resources, complex and costly processing, or the absence of tailorable structure. In this study, a new strategy is developed for using the currently underutilized lignin and cellulose nanofibers, which can be extracted from renewable resources to produce high-performance multifunctional carbon aerogels with a tailorable, anisotropic pore structure. Both the macro- and microstructure of the carbon aerogels can be simultaneously controlled by carefully tuning the weight ratio of lignin to cellulose nanofibers in the precursors, which considerably influences their final porosity and surface area. The designed carbon aerogels demonstrate excellent performance in both CO2 capture and capacitive energy storage, and the best results exhibit a CO2 adsorption capacity of 5.23 mmol g-1 at 273 K and 100 kPa and a specific electrical double-layer capacitance of 124 F g-1 at a current density of 0.2 A g-1, indicating that they have great future potential in the relevant applications.
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Project description:The woody secondary cell walls of plants are the largest repository of renewable carbon biopolymers on the planet. These walls are made principally from cellulose and hemicelluloses and are impregnated with lignin. Despite their importance as the main load bearing structure for plant growth, as well as their industrial importance as both a material and energy source, the precise arrangement of these constituents within the cell wall is not yet fully understood. We have adapted low temperature scanning electron microscopy (cryo-SEM) for imaging the nanoscale architecture of angiosperm and gymnosperm cell walls in their native hydrated state. Our work confirms that cell wall macrofibrils, cylindrical structures with a diameter exceeding 10 nm, are a common feature of the native hardwood and softwood samples. We have observed these same structures in Arabidopsis thaliana secondary cell walls, enabling macrofibrils to be compared between mutant lines that are perturbed in cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin formation. Our analysis indicates that the macrofibrils in Arabidopsis cell walls are dependent upon the proper biosynthesis, or composed, of cellulose, xylan, and lignin. This study establishes that cryo-SEM is a useful additional approach for investigating the native nanoscale architecture and composition of hardwood and softwood secondary cell walls and demonstrates the applicability of Arabidopsis genetic resources to relate fibril structure with wall composition and biosynthesis.
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