Charles Nwafor: Carbon-Negative Cellulose from Pulp Mills

Cellulose is one of the most abundant biopolymers, however, its crystalline and hydrophilic properties makes it challenging to use in various applications, such as in packaging films and fillers in polymer composites. Researchers working on native cellulose applications have observed limitations, such as poor water-barrier properties and limited compatibility with hydrophobic polymer matrices. To overcome these challenges, cellulose is often modified to disrupt its native structure. One common approach is the reaction between the hydroxyl groups of cellulose and fatty acid acyl groups, forming ester linkages.

Long-chain cellulose esters have been reported to possess desirable properties for packaging applications, including superior hydrophobicity, flexibility, and a lower glass transition temperature. These materials are synthesized by reacting long-chain acyl substituent groups (≥C6) with hydroxyls of cellulose. So far, researchers have developed various modification approaches, especially via esterification. The most versatile strategies are the fatty acid chloride and anhydride methods. This method has been successfully used to synthesize various long-chain cellulose esters with varying degrees of substitutions. However, they involve the use of toxic chemicals that often possess a significant carbon footprint. To tackle this challenge, we propose a modification strategy that uses fatty acids derived from biogenic Fischer-Tropsch wax to modify cellulose.

The main aim of this project is to modify cellulose with fatty acids derived from biogenic Fischer-Tropsch wax to reduce the overall carbon footprint in cellulose-based material applications, such as in films and polymer composites