Comprehensive comparison of cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) drying using multi-frequency ultrasonic technology with selected conventional drying technologies

Junli Liu; Amir Malvandi; Hao Feng

doi:10.1016/j.jobab.2024.07.003

Volume 9 Issue 4

Nov. 2024

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Junli Liu, Amir Malvandi, Hao Feng. Comprehensive comparison of cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) drying using multi-frequency ultrasonic technology with selected conventional drying technologies[J]. Journal of Bioresources and Bioproducts, 2024, 9(4): 465-485. doi: 10.1016/j.jobab.2024.07.003

Citation:

Junli Liu, Amir Malvandi, Hao Feng. Comprehensive comparison of cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) drying using multi-frequency ultrasonic technology with selected conventional drying technologies[J]. Journal of Bioresources and Bioproducts, 2024, 9(4): 465-485. doi: 10.1016/j.jobab.2024.07.003

Citation:

Junli Liu, Amir Malvandi, Hao Feng. Comprehensive comparison of cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) drying using multi-frequency ultrasonic technology with selected conventional drying technologies[J]. Journal of Bioresources and Bioproducts, 2024, 9(4): 465-485. doi: 10.1016/j.jobab.2024.07.003

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Comprehensive comparison of cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) drying using multi-frequency ultrasonic technology with selected conventional drying technologies

doi: 10.1016/j.jobab.2024.07.003

Junli Liu^{a, b, c
,
,},
Amir Malvandi^d,
Hao Feng^{a, e
,
,}

a.
Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana 61801, USA
b.
Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette 47907, USA
c.
Laboratory of Renewable Resources Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette 47907, USA
d.
Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana 61801, USA
e.
College of Agriculture and Environmental Science, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, Greensboro 27411, USA

More Information

Corresponding author: E-mail address: liu18@purdue.edu (J. Liu); E-mail address: hfeng@ncat.edu (H. Feng)
Available Online: 2024-07-14
Publish Date: 2024-11-01

Abstract

Abstract

Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) have garnered increased attention due to their renewable nature, abundant feedstock availbility, and good mechanical properties. However, one of the bottlenecks for its commercial production is the drying process. Because of the low CNC concentrations in suspension after isolation, CNC drying requires the removal of a large amount of water to obtain dry products for the following utilization and saving shipping costs. A novel multi-frequency, multimode, modulated ultrasonic drying technology was developed for CNC drying to improve product quality, reduce energy consumption, and increase production rate. CNCs dried with different drying technologies were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectra analysis, X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and redispersibility to measure the quality and property changes. Under the same temperature and airflow rate, ultrasonic drying enhanced drying rates, resulting in at least a 50% reduction in drying time compared to hot air drying. The mean particle sizes of CNC from ultrasonic drying changed little with settling time, indicating good redispersibility. In addition, ultrasonic dried CNCs exhibited good stability in aqueous solutions, with the zeta potentials ranging from –35 to –65 mV. Specific energy consumption and CO₂ emissions of various CNC drying technologies were evaluated. Energy consumption of ultrasonic drying is significantly reduced compared to other drying technologies. Moreover, the potential CO₂ emissions of the fully electrified ultrasonic drying could be net zero if renewable electricity is used.
- Cellulose nanocrystals,
- Ultrasound,
- Drying kinetics,
- Drying energy,
- Energy-efficient,
- CO₂ reduction,
- Redispersibility,
- Carbon sequestration

Declaration of competing interest
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
Supplementary materials
Supplementary material associated with this article can be found, in the online version, at doi:10.1016/j.jobab.2024.07.003.

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