The cover story of the June 30, 2014, issue of Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN) magazine, Washington, D.C., USA, explores recent developments aimed at turning nanocellulose into commercial products. The three-page feature report, titled Nano from the Forest, mentions last week’s 2014 TAPPI International Conference on Nanotechnology for Renewable Materials held in Vancouver, B.C., Canada, where scientists discussed latest methods for extracting, processing, and chemically modifying nanocellulose, as well as using it to make a variety of materials.

According to the article, market forecasters covering nanotechnology and nanomaterials predict that by 2020, the nanocellulose market in North America alone will be worth $250 million. 

 

The C&EN article also reports on latest developments at the USDA Forest Laboratory’s new  nanocellulose pilot plant in Madison, Wis. More information about the article is available online.