Cellulose acetate from agricultural waste: production and characterization

In recent years, much attention has been devoted to the possibility of producing yarns from renewable resources. In addition to true natural fibers (cotton, flax, hemp, wool, silk ???), also the artificial fibers are obtained from renewable sources (cellulose), but subjecting the raw material to chemical treatments which allow to obtain yarns with new properties. The possibility to derive raw materials from agricultural waste or other scraps has been examined in the present work. The research project, funded by Italian Government, involved the search for alternative sources of cellulose fibers required for cellulose acetate, the conversion of waste into cellulose acetate and then the implementation of a pilot plant in order to produce spinnable material. Different scraps were taken into consideration as potential sources of cellulose (flax, sugarcane, corn cobs, wheat straw and a seaweed, the oceanic Poseidonia). In order to be able to use the cellulose for the spinning processes of artificial fibers, basic molecular characteristics have to be controlled and well defined in terms of degree of purity, molecular weight and chemical structure: of particular importance is the total amount and the purity of alfa-cellulose present in the composition. Some of the experimental acetates have been compared with commercial products in term of physical characteristics and rheological behavior in solutions. Also, some preliminary testing has been conducted to evaluate the electrospinnability of the cellulose acetate.