Greener synthesis of nanofibrillated cellulose using magnetically separable TEMPO nanocatalyst

Abstract

Nanofibrillated cellulose was synthesized by magnetically separable 4-oxo-2,2,6,6 tetramethylpiperidine-1 oxyl (TEMPO) mediated oxidation and mechanical disintegration of wood pulp. 4-oxo-TEMPO was covalently tethered to the surface of magnetic nanoparticles, which enabled reuse of the catalyst making the oxidation process cost effective through catalyst recovery and eliminating the catalyst release into waste water streams. This is a first report on use of solid catalyst to synthesize nanofibrillated cellulose using water as a medium.