Impact of bleaching process in obtaining eucalyptus nanocellulose and studying its viability as a nanocomposite for bone regeneration

• Grant number: 23/00470-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Start date: September 01, 2023
• End date: August 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Materials and Metallurgical Engineering - Nonmetallic Materials
• Principal Investigator: Gustavo Ventorim
• Grantee: Cláudia Rodrigues de Oliveira
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Engenharia (FEG). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Guaratinguetá. Guaratinguetá , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The quest for sustainable development opens up more and more space for research aimed at developing and obtaining nanomaterials obtained from sustainable sources, via sustainable processes, with applications for improving health and quality of human life, in remediating the environment and others. Nanocellulose has attracted a lot of attention as a component of new materials or advanced materials due to its ability to improve physical, mechanical, optical, electrical properties, among others, and can be used as a reinforcement material in polymeric matrices. It is classified as a supermaterial, because with nanometric dimensions, it has greater resistance than steel, in addition to being light, waterproof and biodegradable, characteristics that benefit the automotive and aeronautical industries. It is a cellulose by-product with great production potential in the country. In view of this, this work aims to study the production of nanocellulose from Eucalyptus Urograndis pulps by Kraft cooking, bleaching, followed by chemical treatment. Three bleaching sequences will be applied: D0(E+P)DP, AHTDP and AHTEHTDP. From the bleached pulps, nanocellulose will be produced via chemical treatment according to adaptations of methods found in the literature, which are divided into four stages: acid hydrolysis, centrifugation, dialysis and ultrasonication. The quantification and characterization of the produced nanocellulose will be carried out by determining the yield, simultaneous thermal analysis (thermogravimetry and thermal differential, scanning electron microscopy , X-Ray diffraction and infrared spectrometry with Fourier transform . Nanocellulose with the best characteristic to anchor the hydroxyapatite, either by adsorption or physical mixing, better size distribution and crystallinity, will be used to produce the composite with nanocellulose still in the form of a gel and its potential for the production of a biocompatible hydrogel for regeneration bone will be evaluated. (AU)