Fecha de publicación: 22/11/2024 Fuente: Cellulose (Springer) Abstract
The increasing demand for sustainable alternatives to fossil-based products has prompted research into the valorization of agricultural residues. This study investigated the production of high-quality dissolving pulp from wheat straw using an organosolv process. The primary objectives were to evaluate the feasibility of using organic acids for pulping, optimize the process conditions, and assess the quality of the resulting dissolving pulp. Wheat straw was treated using mixtures of formic acid (FA) and acetic acid (AA) at various ratios (35:65 and 65:35 FA:AA), employing both steaming and immersion methods. The pulp underwent alkaline extraction, followed by a two-stage bleaching process consisting of chlorine dioxide (ClO2) treatment and catalytic hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) bleaching with CuSO4 as an activator. The resulting alpha-cellulose samples were characterized using various analytical techniques, including viscosity measurement, FTIR spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The results demonstrated that high-quality dissolving pulp could be successfully produced from wheat straw using the organosolv process. The highest alpha-cellulose content (92%) and yield (58.16%) were achieved using a formic acid to acetic acid ratio of 35:65 v/v. The steaming method generally produced pulp with superior properties compared to the immersion method. FTIR and XRD analyses confirmed the high purity of the obtained dissolving pulp, while FESEM revealed well-defined, individual cellulose fibers with a high degree of defibrillation. Thermal analysis showed good thermal stability of the produced dissolving pulp. This study highlights the potential of wheat straw as a viable raw material for producing high-quality dissolving pulp using an organosolv process.