Engineering Student Uploads Video Synthesizing Nanocellulose
Print this Article | Send to Colleague
As explained by NanoWerk, Honolulu, Hi., USA, this "wonder" material, which is synthesized naturally in wood, is composed of nanofibrils with widths usually less than 20 nm, resulting in high aspect ratio. This means a renewable bio-product with what can be called remarkable strength, comparable to advanced metals such as steel. Nanocellulose may be considered superior because of its strength through lighter weight.
The science of nanocellulose has come to the lab, where today's students and major designers of future technology can now demonstrate the fundamental rules and method of synthesis of nanofibrilated cellulose as a student did in a demonstration dated April 1, using some of the most up-to-date lab equipment available for small scale/sample production.
If viewing the video from this report on a mobile device, YouTube must be able to load to play the video in the hyperlink above.
This past week on the Chemical Engineering News website hosted in Chicago, Ill., a professor pointed out in a comment that the video can be useful for giving students studying nanotechnology a look into the "macro" side of production.
Last year, 2015, was a landmark year for the industrial pilot production of serious new technologies that could dawn a nanofiber/nanocellulose revolution based on: 1) recycling of otherwise discarded woody biomass, 2) the use of renewable technology through managed forests, and even more recently, breakthroughs in creating structures through nanochemistry that allow pulp and paper industrial bioproducts such as lignin to be made into useful industrial products, and 3) faster and cheaper nanocellulose production capabilities than ever before, turning pilot scale production into commercial ready capacity.
