The Stabilization of Cellulose by Cross-linking with Ethyleneglycoldiglycidylether and Polyethyleneimine.

The common method for treating industrial wastewater is the activated-sludge process in which specific carriers of bacteria capable of forming active sludge are put in contact with treated water . As a raw material for the carriers, cellulose sponges (native cellulose) are advantageous after use, but one disadvantage is their weakness in physical contact with wastewater as it is being treated. Because of this disadvantage, epoxydated-resin coated carriers (coated cellulose) with hardened surface are used in the treatment plants. It is often observed that the carriers are shortly dissolved, leaving fragments of resins possibly resulting from cellulase. In order to overcome this disadvantage, the cellulose is pretreated with ethyleneglycol-diglycidylether, then crosslinked with polyethyleneimine to ether on the surface of cellulose-sponges (crosslinked cellulose). It has been found that the crosslinked cellulose has an especially superior ability to resist cellulase action, while its adhesion capacity for bacteria is equivalent or greater, compared with that of coated cellulose.