Development of low-cost extraction method for cellulose nanofiber from paper sludge and application to biocomposites

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 24656394
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Composite materials/Physical properties
• Research Institution: The University of Tokushima
• Principal Investigator: TAKAGI Hitoshi 徳島大学, ソシオテクノサイエンス研究部, 教授 (20171423)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): NAKAGAITO Antonio Norio 徳島大学, 大学院ソシオテクノサイエンス研究部, 准教授 (50523156)
• Project Period (FY): 2012-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: 製紙スラッジ / セルロースナノ繊維

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Paper sludge (PS) is one of the typical waste materials in the papermaking industry. The reuse of PS was difficult due to the existence of various minerals and damages in the pulps. Therefore, we extracted cellulose nanofiber from the PS by using chemical and physical treatments. The extracted cellulose nanofibre was combined with biodegradable resin to make green composites, and then the mechanical properties were examined. We found that the green composites obtained had tensile strength of 115 MPa and Young's modulus of 6.8 GPa. It is suggested that these high properties were derived from fiber reinforcement from cellulose nanofiber extracted and refinement of mineral particles by ultra-sonication during the extraction process.

Free Research Field

複合材料工学