Valorization of Enzymatic Hydrolysis Residues from Corncob into Lignin-Containing Cellulose Nanofibrils and Lignin Nanoparticles

Rui Xu; Haishun Du; Hui Wang; Meng Zhang; Meiyan Wu; Chao Liu; Guang Yu; Xinyu Zhang; Chuanling Si; Sun-Eun Choi; Bin Li

doi:10.3389/fbioe.2021.677963

Valorization of Enzymatic Hydrolysis Residues from Corncob into Lignin-Containing Cellulose Nanofibrils and Lignin Nanoparticles

Front Bioeng Biotechnol. 2021 Apr 16:9:677963. doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2021.677963. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Rui Xu^{1

2}, Haishun Du³, Hui Wang¹, Meng Zhang¹, Meiyan Wu², Chao Liu², Guang Yu², Xinyu Zhang³, Chuanling Si¹, Sun-Eun Choi⁴, Bin Li²

Affiliations

¹ Tianjin Key Laboratory of Pulp and Paper, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin, China.
² Key Laboratory of Biofuels, Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China.
³ Department of Chemical Engineering, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, United States.
⁴ Department of Forest Biomaterials Engineering, College of Forest and Environmental Sciences, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, South Korea.

Abstract

As a kind of biomass waste, enzymatic hydrolysis residues (EHRs) are conventionally burned or just discarded, resulting in environmental pollution and low economic benefits. In this study, EHRs of corncob residues (CCR) were used to produce high lignin-containing cellulose nanofibrils (LCNFs) and lignin nanoparticles (LNPs) through a facile approach. The LCNFs and LNPs with controllable chemical compositions and properties were produced by tuning the enzymolysis time of CCR and the followed homogenization. The morphology, thermal stability, chemical and crystalline structure, and dispersibility of the resultant LCNFs and LNPs were further comprehensively investigated. This work not only promotes the production of lignocellulose-based nanomaterials but also provides a promising utilization pathway for EHRs.

Keywords: corncob; enzymatic hydrolysis residues; homogenization; lignin nanoparticles; lignin-containing cellulose nanofibrils.