I-Corps: Process to transform low-value agricultural wastes into high-value, biodegradable cellulose nanofibers

I-Corps项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力是开发一种转化过程，将低价值的农业废物转化为高价值的、可生物降解的纤维素纳米纤维。为了帮助应对气候变化和减少温室气体对环境的影响，需要以石油为基础的材料的可持续替代品。纤维素纳米纤维被认为是一种多功能的生物材料，可用于各行各业的高性能和更可持续的产品。这个提议的过程采用了绿色化学原理，可能会产生比目前市场上发现的传统纳米纤维便宜10倍的纳米纤维。可负担得起的纳米纤维可能为油漆和涂料、汽车、高性能服装和纺织品等产品中的石油基成分提供切实的替代品。可生物降解的纤维素纳米纤维可以帮助这些行业实现其性能目标，同时减少其环境足迹。替代石油基材料可以减少与其生产和处置相关的二氧化碳排放，并有助于减少废物积累。此外，通过使用农业废弃物作为原料，该过程将这些植物捕获的大气二氧化碳转化为持久的，有价值的生物材料，支持循环生物经济。这个I-Corps项目的基础是开发一种从低价值农业植物废料中生产纤维素纳米纤维的工艺。提出的技术利用低成本的可再生原料，如农业和林业残留物、收获的入侵植物和来自其他工业的废物来生产纳米级原纤维。转化过程以温和的条件为基础，以确保保存大部分原料的成分和最大产量。此外，由于反应是在常压下进行的，该过程是节能的，并且使用了不会在环境中积累的可生物降解的化学物质。纤维素纳米纤维是一种天然的生物聚合物，由于其独特的性能，包括高强度、轻量化、大表面积、氧屏障、热稳定性和可生物降解性，在许多应用中可以取代石油基材料。所提出的转化技术已在实验室规模上成功建立，并被证明具有鲁棒性和可重复性，适用于各种原料。该工艺生产的纳米纤维通过与可生物降解塑料树脂混合用于产品测试，从而使塑料材料的机械性能得到了显著提高。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is the development of a conversion process to transform low-value agricultural wastes into high-value, biodegradable cellulose nanofibers. Sustainable alternatives to petroleum-based materials are needed to help combat climate change and reduce the environmental impact of greenhouse gasses. Cellulose nanofibers are considered a versatile biomaterial for high-performance and more sustainable products across industries. The proposed process employs green chemistry principles and may generate nanofibers that are 10 times cheaper than conventional nanofibers found in the market today. Affordable nanofibers may provide a tangible substitute for petroleum-based ingredients in products such as paints and coatings, automotive, and performance apparel and textiles. Biodegradable cellulose nanofibers may help these industries achieve their performance targets while decreasing their environmental footprint. Replacing petroleum-based materials may reduce the CO₂ emissions associated with their production and disposal and help reduce waste accumulation. In addition, by using agricultural wastes as feedstock, the process will convert the atmospheric CO₂ captured by those plants into long-lasting, valuable biomaterials, supporting a circular bioeconomy.This I-Corps project is based on the development of a process to produce cellulose nanofibers from low-value agricultural plant wastes. The proposed technology utilizes low-cost renewable feedstocks such as agricultural and forestry residues, harvested invasive plants, and wastes from other industries to produce the nano-sized fibrils. The conversion process is based on mild conditions to ensure preservation of most of the starting material’s components and maximum yields. In addition, the process is energy efficient as the reactions are carried out at atmospheric pressure, and employs biodegradable chemicals that do not accumulate in the environment. Cellulose nanofibers are natural biopolymers that can replace petroleum-based materials in many applications due to their unique properties including high strength, lightweight, large surface area, oxygen barrier, thermal stability, and biodegradability. The proposed conversion technology has been established successfully at laboratory scale and was proven robust and reproducible with a variety of feedstocks. Nanofibers produced from this process were applied in product testing by mixing with biodegradable plastic resins, which resulted in an outstanding mechanical property enhancement of the plastic material.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.