Exploration of Hemp Hurds Waste for Lignin-Containing Nanocellulose Based-Barrier Films for Sustainable Packaging

Over the past two decades, cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) have been explored as a source material for various applications such as reinforcements in polymers, thin films, electronics, hydrogels and food packaging. CNFs are predominately sourced from plant fibers (both wood and non-wood) through several pretreatment and mechanical processes. Production of these nanomaterials is a challenge, mainly because of the cost of feedstock materials. These concerns have given rise to a new category of nanocellulose, lignin-containing cellulose nanofibers (LCNFs), which is cheaper as compared to bleached cellulose nanofibers (BCNFs). Also, LCNFs have been found to be less hydrophilic compared to BCNF, which can be an advantage for many packaging applications.<br/>In this presentation, we will talk about how we used residual hemp (Cannabis sativa) hurds to obtain LCNFs using different pretreatments such as autohydrolysis, carbonate, and kraft pulping. The obtained LCNFs were characterized morphologically, for crystallinity, and chemical characteristics using SEM-EDX, XRD, and ToF-SIMS, respectively. LCNFs films were made and water barrier properties of the same were measured in terms of water contact angle, water vapor permeability (WVP), and water absorption. The results showed that LCNF-based films derived from hemp hurd residual fibers could contribute to a circular economy and sustainability.