Valorization of Arundo donax for the production of high performance lignocellulosic films

The application of a simplified extraction protocol, avoiding the use of organic solvents, led to the presence of minor amounts of lipidic impurities in the fractions, which, surprisingly, had a positive impact in the properties of the films. In particular, the film obtained from the purified cellulose without Soxhlet treatment (F3A) outperforms biopolymeric materials such as starch and PLA in terms of mechanical and water barrier performance.