Production potential of cellulose nanofibers from industrial residues: Efficiency and nanofiber characteristics

• Cellulose nanofibers were isolated from industrial residues using ultrafine grinding.
• Separation was accomplished without altering the inherent structure of the fibers.
• The choice of raw materials influence on the process efficiency.
• Nanofibers was separated very efficiently from carrot residue using only 0.9 kWh/kg.
• Carrot residue show potential for industrial production of cellulose nanofibers.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the production potential of cellulose nanofibers from two different industrial bio-residues: wastes from the juice industry (carrot) and the beer brewing process (BSG). The mechanical separation of the cellulose nanofibers was by ultrafine grinding. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectroscopy revealed that the materials were mechanically isolated without significantly affecting their crystallinity. The carrot residue was more easily bleached and consumed less energy during grinding, using only 0.9 kWh/kg compared to 21 kWh/kg for the BSG. The carrot residue also had a 10% higher yield than the BSG. Moreover, the dried nanofiber networks showed high mechanical properties, with an average modulus and strength of 12.9 GPa and 210 MPa, respectively, thus indicating a homogeneous nanosize distribution. The study showed that carrot residue has great potential for the industrial production of cellulose nanofibers due to its high quality, processing efficiency, and low raw material cost.

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