Comparison of Characteristics of Cellulose Nanofibrils from Corn Stalk and Bamboo Fiber

Corn stalk and bamboo were used for raw materials for cellulose nanofibril by pulping followed by bleaching to compared with hardwood raw material. Corn pulp was produced by soda pulping process but bamboo pulp was made by soda-anthraquinone pulping process. Pulp yield was lower in bamboo (32.7%) compared with corn stalk (37.2%). Lower yield of bamboo pulp resulted in higher lignin content than hardwood, and more xylan removal in alkaline pulping. Lower yield of corn stalk come from higher hot-water extractives content than hardwood. Cellulose nanofibril (CNF) was made by bleached pulp with carboxymethylation pretreatment. Average width of CNF was 4.8 ㎚ for CNF from yellow poplar pulp, and 6.1 ㎚ from that of bamboo, but 16.5 nm for corn stalk pulp. Water-holding ability quite similar between bamboo CNF and yellow poplar CNF but quite lower for corn stalk CNF.