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In this work, we studied the formation of hierarchical porous cartridges by means of bacterial cellulose impregnation with the zeolites A and X. Cellulose was successfully produced by Komagataeibacter genus and the zeolites were obtained by hydrothermal route. The composites were formed using both oxidized and non-oxidized cellulose. Different characterization techniques were used to analyze the resulting materials like powder X-ray diffraction, spectroscopic techniques (infrared vibrational spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance), electron microscopy, thermal analyses, as well as ionic exchange experiments. The results show that the composites present layers with large voids among them, formed by cellulose nanofibrils tangling the particles in the oxidized samples, and shiftings in the bands referent to the carboxilyc groups and hydrogen bondings. The oxidation step for the cellulose seems to be important for the hierarchization and a positive effect on the cartridges is found for Ca2+ ionic exchange tests. Thus, these components can be successfully mixed to form cartridges with potential use at gas and liquid adsorption technologies.

The aim of this study was to obtain bacterial cellulose (BC) nanofibrils by using a high speed blender on BC previously oxidized with 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-1-piperidinoxyl (TEMPO) radical. The resulting oxidized nanofibrillated bacterial cellulose (BCOXNF) was characterized chemically, thermally, and morphologically, presenting high crystallinity index (92%), great dispersion stability (zeta potential, − 52 mV) and appropriate morphology (40 nm in diameter). In addition, freeze dried nanofibrils were evaluated for their redispersibility in water, in order to check whether the process was effective in preventing hornification (nanofibril aggregation upon drying). In fact, the obtained material presented better redispersibility in water (zeta potential, − 63 mV) after freeze drying when compared to non-oxidized BC.

Corn zein is a predominatly hydrophobic protein, forming films with relatively good water resistance. Tannic acid, especially in its oxidized form, is supposed to cross-link proteins including zein, which may be explored to further enhance the water resistance of zein films. The effects of different contents (0-8 wt%) of unoxidized and oxidized tannic acid (uTA and oTA, respectively) on the properties of zein films at different pH values (4-9) were studied, according to central composite designs.; Results: Increasing tannic acid contents and pH values resulted in decreased water solubility and increased tensile strength and modulus of films. The presence of tannic acid provided the films with a yellowish color and increased opacity. Paired t-tests indicated that oTA films presented higher tensile strength, lower water vapor permeability and lower water solubility than uTA films.; Conclusion: Higher tannic acid contents and pH values resulted in films with better overall physical properties, which might be ascribed to cross-linking, although the films were still not water resistant. The resulting films have potential to be used for food packaging and coating applications. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.; © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

Biodegradable aerogels may help to develop eco-friendly technological pathways to increase the efficiency of chemical processes. In the present work, we describe the preparation of a novel bacterial cellulose aerogel oxidized by TEMPO, nanofibrillated in a blender, and silanized with methyltrimethoxysilane, resulting in four different types of aerogel. The aerogels produced from the double-functionalized cellulose suspension (BCOXNS) were compared to other non-oxidized (BCN and BCNS) and non-silanized (BCOXN) aerogels All aerogels were very light (density 10–14 kg.m−3) and very porous (porosity >99 %). The aerogels of BCOXNS showed better mechanical properties (tension of 13.0 kPa, modulus of elasticity of 39.4 kPa) and hydrophobicity, and could absorb organic solvents of different polarities. The BCOXNS could be recycled at least 7 times after absorbing organic solvents while retaining an absorption capacity of 83 %. This material can be used as a standard for the further development of aerogels based on bacterial biopolymers.

Mango seeds have been used to obtain components for nanocomposite films, namely, starch and starch nanocrystals (SNC) from seed kernels, and cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) from seed shells. Lignin was also recovered from shells. Starch-based films were prepared with different contents and combinations of SNC and CNC. SNC exhibited round-like rather than platelet-like morphology, and their effect on water vapor barrier was not as high as that of the needle-like CNC. Also, CNC were more effective than SNC to increase elastic modulus. On the other hand, CNC impaired more the elongation. The optimized conditions (1.5 wt% CNC and 8.5 wt% SNC on a starch basis) resulted in a film with enhanced strength, modulus, and barrier to water vapor when compared to the unfilled film, although the elongation has been impaired.

Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) isolated from banana pseudostems fibers (BPF) of the Pacovan variety were used as fillers in a polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH) matrix to yield a nanocomposite. The fibers from the external fractions of the BPF were alkaline bleached and hydrolyzed under acidic conditions (H2SO4 62% w/w, 70 min, 45 °C) to obtain CNCs with a length (L) of 135.0 ± 12.0 nm and a diameter (D) of 7.2 ± 1.9 nm to yield an aspect ratio (L/D) of 21.2. The CNCs were applied to PVOH films at different concentrations (0%, 1%, 3%, and 5% w/w, dry basis). With higher concentrations of CNCs, the water-vapor barrier of the films increased, while the optical properties changed very little. Increasing the concentration of the CNCs up to 3% significantly improved the mechanical properties of the nanocomposite.

Corn zein is a predominatly hydrophobic protein, forming films with relatively good water resistance. Tannic acid, especially in its oxidized form, is supposed to cross-link proteins including zein, which may be explored to further enhance the water resistance of zein films. The effects of different contents (0-8 wt%) of unoxidized and oxidized tannic acid (uTA and oTA, respectively) on the properties of zein films at different pH values (4-9) were studied, according to central composite designs.Increasing tannic acid contents and pH values resulted in decreased water solubility and increased tensile strength and modulus of films. The presence of tannic acid provided the films with a yellowish color and increased opacity. Paired t-tests indicated that oTA films presented higher tensile strength, lower water vapor permeability and lower water solubility than uTA films.Higher tannic acid contents and pH values resulted in films with better overall physical properties, which might be ascribed to cross-linking, although the films were still not water resistant. The resulting films have potential to be used for food packaging and coating applications. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

O aerogel é um material sólido que apresenta alta porosidade, baixa densidade e grande área superficial, com características apropriadas para novas aplicações de alto valor. Como conseqüência, observam-se estudos focados em novas fontes de matéria-prima, processos e tratamentos objetivando a redução do alto custo envolvido na sua obtenção. Nesse contexto, destacam-se as fibras vegetais, em especial a celulose, o polímero natural mais abundante e um dos principais constituintes das paredes celulares das plantas, também sintetizado por alguns microrganismos. Para ampliar o leque de aplicações, alguns estudos têm investigado a funcionalização de aerogéis, sendo uma área com elevado potencial a ser explorado. No presente trabalho, com o objetivo de estabelecer uma metodologia para obtenção de aerogéis, a celulose bacteriana foi oxidada por TEMPO, nanofibrilada em ?blender? e silanizada com metiltrimetoxisilano. A oxidação e a silanização foram evidenciados por FTIR. Aerogéis foram produzidos desta suspensão funcionalizada (CBOXNS) e comparados a outros aerogéis não oxidados (CBN e CBNS) e não silanizados (CBOXN). Todos os aerogéis são muito leves (densidade de 0,010 a 0,014 g.cm-3 ) e muito porosos (porosidade de 99,8 a 99,4%). Os aerogéis apresentaram na sua morfologia uma estrutura organizada em lamelas formadas de teias de microfibrilas. Os aerogéis de CBOXNS apresentaram capacidade de absorção de óleos e solventes orgânicos (35 a 75 vezes o próprio peso) menor que os de CBN e CBNS, mas propriedades mecânicas superiores (tensão de 13,0 kPa e módulo de elasticidade de 39,4 kPa), o que possibilitou sua utilização por 7 ciclos de absorção-secagem, mantendo uma capacidade de absorção de 83%. O aerogel de CBOXNS apresentou o melhor equilíbrio entre todas as propriedades testadas e foi utilizado como modelo para a celulose bacteriana de permeado de suco de caju (CBP) e a celulose de eucalipto (CE). Os aerogéis de CBP oxidado e silanizado (CBPOXNS) e de CE oxidado e silanizado (CEOXNS) também são muito leves (~0,011 g.cm-3) e muito porosos (~99,4%), possuem propriedades mecânicas inferiores (tensão de 3,1 kPa e módulo de elasticidade de 10,7 e 3,1 kPa) quando comparados às do aerogel de CBOXNS, mas possuem elevada capacidade de absorção de óleos e solventes orgânicos, sendo o aerogel de CBPOXNS um ótimo absorvedor de óleos (65 vezes o próprio peso) e o aerogel de CEOXNS um ótimo absorvedor de solventes orgânicos (55 a 80 vezes o próprio peso). Made available in DSpace on 2018-12-22T23:36:00Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 TeseAndre.pdf: 1455036 bytes, checksum: 4a7aafcae7f89ca4fdd2761f9fef92d6 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-12-20 Tese (Doutorado em Química) - Universidade Federal do Ceará, Fortaleza. Orientadora: Judith Pessoa de Andrade Feitosa. Coorientadora: Morsyleide de Freitas Rosa