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

这个i-Corps项目的更广泛的影响/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。需要石油材料的可持续替代品来帮助应对气候变化和减少温室气体对环境的影响。纤维素纳米纤维被认为是一种多用途的生物材料，可用于各行业的高性能和更可持续的产品。拟议中的工艺采用绿色化学原理，可能会产生比目前市场上找到的传统纳米纤维便宜10倍的纳米纤维。负担得起的纳米纤维可能会为油漆和涂料、汽车、高性能服装和纺织品等产品中的石油成分提供有形的替代品。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，同时减少它们的环境足迹。替代以石油为基础的材料可能会减少与其生产和处置相关的CO₂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中的CO₂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项目基于开发一种从低价值农业植物废弃物生产纤维素纳米纤维的工艺。这项拟议的技术利用低成本的可再生原料，如农业和林业残渣、收获的入侵植物和其他行业的废物来生产纳米纤维。转化过程以温和的条件为基础，以确保保留大多数起始材料的成分和最大产量。此外，该过程是节能的，因为反应是在常压下进行的，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，具有强度高、重量轻、比表面积大、阻氧性、热稳定性和生物降解性等特点，可在许多领域取代石油基材料。拟议的转化技术已在实验室规模上成功建立，并被证明是可靠的，可用于各种原料。通过这一工艺生产的纳米纤维被应用于产品测试，通过与可生物降解的塑料树脂混合，导致了塑料材料的卓越机械性能增强。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势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.