Chitosan Reinforced with Kenaf Nanocrystalline Cellulose as an Effective Carrier for the Delivery of Platelet Lysate in the Acceleration of Wound Healing

The clinical use of platelet lysate (PL) in the treatment of wounds is limited by its rapid degradation by proteases at the tissue site. This research aims to develop a chitosan (CS) and kenaf nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC) hydrogel composite, which intend to stabilize PL and control its release onto the wound site for prolonged action. NCC was synthesized from raw kenaf bast fibers and incorporated into the CS hydrogel. The physicochemical properties, in vitro cytocompatibility, cell proliferation, wound scratch assay, PL release, and CS stabilizing effect of the hydrogel composites were analyzed. The study of swelling ratio (>1000%) and moisture loss (60–90%) showed the excellent water retention capacity of the CS-NCC-PL hydrogels as compared with the commercial product. In vitro release PL study (flux = 0.165 mg/cm2/h) indicated that NCC act as a nanofiller and provided the sustained release of PL compared with the CS hydrogel alone. The CS also showed the protective effect of growth factor (GF) present in PL, thereby promoting fast wound healing via the formulation. The CS-NCC hydrogels also augmented fibroblast proliferation in vitro and enhanced wound closures over 72 h. This study provides a new insight on CS with renewable source kenaf NCC as a nanofiller as a potential autologous PL wound therapy.

High-Hydrophilic and Antifouling Poly (Vinylidene Fluoride) Composite Membranes via in Situ Mosaic- Assembled Nanocrystalline Cellulose and g-C3N4

Developing an antifouling and stable separation poly (vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) membrane for water treatment is of great significance but challenging due to the limitations of its low surface properties and strong hydrophobicity. In this study, a novel multi-block composite ultrafiltration membrane was developed using the mosaic-assembled doping of pineapple leaf nanocrystalline cellulose and g-C3N4. The effects of adding different components on the PVDF composite membrane properties have been analyzed. The surface chemical composition, surface morphology, crystallinity and thermal stability of the composite membranes were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Both of the tensile strength and elongation length of the PVDF composite membranes were enhanced due to the addition of pineapple leaf nanocellulose and g-C3N4, and the tensile strength and elongation length of PVDF/PEG/g-C3N4/Pineapple leaf nanocellulose composite membrane can reach 10.61 MPa and 8.85 mm. The porosity of the PVDF composite membranes was 46.6%, respectively. The water flux and flux recovery ratio of PVDF/PEG/g-C3N4/Pineapple leaf nanocellulose also can reach 256.75 L/(m2 ⋅h) and up to 82.1%. All the above experimental data showed that the addition of pineapple leaf nanocellulose and g-C3N4 can greatly improve the performance of the PVDF composite membrane. The prepared modified membrane has potential application value in the field of wastewater separation and treatment.

Properties of Biocomposite Film Based on Whey Protein Isolate Filled with Nanocrystalline Cellulose from Pineapple Crown Leaf

Among the main bio-based polymer for food packaging materials, whey protein isolate (WPI) is one of the biopolymers that have excellent film-forming properties and are environmentally friendly. This study was performed to analyse the effect of various concentrations of bio-based nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC) extracted from pineapple crown leaf (PCL) on the properties of whey protein isolate (WPI) films using the solution casting technique. Six WPI films were fabricated with different loadings of NCC from 0 to 10 % w/v. The resulting films were characterised based on their mechanical, physical, chemical, and thermal properties. The results show that NCC loadings increased the thickness of the resulting films. The transparency of the films decreased at higher NCC loadings. The moisture content and moisture absorption of the films decreased with the presence of the NCC, being lower at higher NCC loadings. The water solubility of the films decreased from 92.2% for the pure WPI to 65.5% for the one containing 10 % w/v of NCC. The tensile strength of the films peaked at 7% NCC loading with the value of 5.1 MPa. Conversely, the trend of the elongation at break data was the opposite of the tensile strength. Moreover, the addition of NCC produced a slight effect of NCC in FTIR spectra of the WPI films using principal component analysis. NCC loading enhanced the thermal stability of the WPI films, as shown by an increase in the glass transition temperature at higher NCC loadings. Moreover, the morphology of the films turned rougher and more heterogeneous with small particle aggregates in the presence of the NCC. Overall, the addition of NCC enhanced the water barrier and mechanical properties of the WPI films by incorporating the PCL-based NCC as the filler.

Isolation and Characterization of Nanocrystalline Cellulose Isolated from Pineapple Crown Leaf Fiber Agricultural Wastes Using Acid Hydrolysis

Pineapple crown leaf fiber (PCLF) is one of the major biomass wastes from pineapple processing plants. It consists mostly of carbohydrate polymers, such as cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin. It can be further processed to form a more valuable and widely used nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC). This study investigates the effect of hydrolysis time on the properties of the produced NCC. The acid hydrolysis was conducted using 1 M of sulfuric acid at hydrolysis times of 1–3 h. The resulting NCCs were then characterized by their morphology, functional groups, crystallinity, thermal stability, elemental composition, and production yield. The results show that the NCC products had a rod-like particle structure and possessed a strong cellulose crystalline structure typically found in agricultural fiber-based cellulose. The highest NCC yield was obtained at 79.37% for one hour of hydrolysis. This NCC also displayed a higher decomposition temperature of 176.98 °C. The overall findings suggest that PCLF-derived NCC has attractive properties for a variety of applications.

Synthesis and Physicochemical Properties of Poly(vinyl) Alcohol Nanocomposites Reinforced with Nanocrystalline Cellulose from Tea (Camellia sinensis) Waste

The purpose of this study was to utilize cellulose from tea waste as nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC), which is used as a filler in poly(vinyl) alcohol (PVA) nanocomposites. To obtain the NCC, a chemical process was conducted in the form of alkali treatment, followed by bleaching and hydrolysis. Nanocomposites were formed by mixing PVA with various NCC suspensions. With chemical treatment, lignin and hemicellulose can be removed from the tea waste to obtain NCC. This can be seen in the functional groups of cellulose and the increase in crystallinity. The NCC had a mean diameter of 6.99 ± 0.50 nm. Furthermore, the addition of NCC to the PVA nanocomposite influenced the properties of the nanocomposites. This can be seen in the general increase in opacity value, thermal and mechanical properties, and crystallinity, as well as the decrease in the value of the swelling ratio after adding NCC. This study has revealed that NCC from tea waste can be used to improve the physicochemical properties of PVA film.

Preparation and Characterization of Nanocrystalline Cellulose from Cassava Stem Wastes by Electromagnetic Induction

Cassava stems were one of the largest agricultural by products in Indonesia, especially in Lampung Province. It is known that cassava stems have a fairly high lignocellulose content, especially cellulose which reaches 39.29%. The high cellulose content in cassava stems has great potential to be used as raw material for Nanocrystalline Cellulose (NCC). The preparation of nanocrystalline cellulose consists of four main stages, namely: pre-hydrolysis, delignification, bleaching, and acid hydrolysis. The pre-hydrolysis stage was carried out by boiling a solution of CH3COOH and cassava stem powder for 60 minutes at a temperature of 105oC. Cassava stem powder was then delignified using a 25% NaOH solution heated to a temperature of 105oC for 1 hour. The bleaching stage used a 3.5% NaOCl solution at a temperature of 50oC for 60 minutes and was carried out twice. The last step is acid hydrolysis using 2.5N HCl solution for 15 minutes at a temperature of 105oC, then the electromagnetic induction treatment is varied with temperature variations of 30oC, 50oC, and 70oC for 60 minutes. The prepared nanocrystalline cellulose were tested for lignocellulose, XRD and PSA. From the test results, the best variation of nanocrystal cellulose preparation was acid hydrolysis treatment with 70oC electromagnetic induction for 60 minutes, namely an increase in the percentage of cellulose 62.93%, crystallinity 90.68%, and an average particle size of 18.04µm with some particles measuring nanometers. From the results of the research, it was concluded that electromagnetic induction increased crystallinity and decreased the size of nanocrystalline cellulose.