Bioconversion of Waste Fiber Sludge to Bacterial Nanocellulose and Use for Reinforcement of CTMP Paper Sheets

Utilization of bacterial nanocellulose (BNC) for large-scale applications is restricted by low productivity in static cultures and by the high cost of the medium. Fiber sludge, a waste stream from pulp and paper mills, was enzymatically hydrolyzed to sugar, which was used for the production of BNC by the submerged cultivation of Komagataeibacter xylinus. Compared with a synthetic glucose-based medium, the productivity of purified BNC from the fiber sludge hydrolysate using shake-flasks was enhanced from 0.11 to 0.17 g/(L × d), although the average viscometric degree of polymerization (DPv) decreased from 6760 to 6050. The cultivation conditions used in stirred-tank reactors (STRs), including the stirring speed, the airflow, and the pH, were also investigated. Using STRs, the BNC productivity in fiber-sludge medium was increased to 0.32 g/(L × d) and the DPv was increased to 6650. BNC produced from the fiber sludge hydrolysate was used as an additive in papermaking based on the chemithermomechanical pulp (CTMP) of birch. The introduction of BNC resulted in a significant enhancement of the mechanical strength of the paper sheets. With 10% (w/w) BNC in the CTMP/BNC mixture, the tear resistance was enhanced by 140%. SEM images showed that the BNC cross-linked and covered the surface of the CTMP fibers, resulting in enhanced mechanical strength.

[1]  Kunihiko Watanabe,et al.  Structural Features and Properties of Bacterial Cellulose Produced in Agitated Culture , 1998 .

[2]  Kaiyan Qiu,et al.  An alternative carbon source from konjac powder for enhancing production of bacterial cellulose in static cultures by a model strain Acetobacter aceti subsp. xylinus ATCC 23770 , 2008 .

[3]  Taous Khan,et al.  Production of bacterial cellulose by Gluconacetobacter hansenii using a novel bioreactor equipped with a spin filter , 2007 .

[4]  Takaaki Naritomi,et al.  Effects of oxygen and carbon dioxide pressures on bacterial cellulose production by Acetobacter in aerated and agitated culture , 1997 .

[5]  Fei Yang,et al.  PROPERTIES OF BACTERIAL CELLULOSE AND ITS INFLUENCE ON THE PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF PAPER , 2011 .

[6]  Paul Gatenholm,et al.  Bacterial nanocellulose : a sophisticated multifunctional material , 2013 .

[7]  L. Jönsson,et al.  Production of bacterial nanocellulose and enzyme from [AMIM]Cl-pretreated waste cotton fabrics: effects of dyes on enzymatic saccharification and nanocellulose production , 2016 .

[8]  J. C. Villar,et al.  Use of bacterial cellulose in degraded paper restoration. Part I: application on model papers , 2016, Journal of Materials Science.

[9]  Y. Nishi,et al.  The structure and mechanical properties of sheets prepared from bacterial cellulose , 1990 .

[10]  Jay Shah,et al.  Towards electronic paper displays made from microbial cellulose , 2004, Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology.

[11]  T. Tsuchida,et al.  Screening of Bacterial Cellulose-producing Acetobacter Strains Suitable for Agitated Culture , 1995 .

[12]  L. Jönsson,et al.  Effects of aromatic compounds on the production of bacterial nanocellulose by Gluconacetobacter xylinus , 2014, Microbial Cell Factories.

[13]  L. Jönsson,et al.  Tolerance of the nanocellulose-producing bacterium Gluconacetobacter xylinus to lignocellulose-derived acids and aldehydes. , 2014, Journal of agricultural and food chemistry.

[14]  K. A. Zahan,et al.  Process parameters for fermentation in a rotary disc reactor for optimum microbial cellulose production using response surface methodology , 2014 .

[15]  Leif J Jönsson,et al.  Production of bacterial cellulose and enzyme from waste fiber sludge , 2013, Biotechnology for Biofuels.

[16]  M. Shoda,et al.  Statistical optimization of culture conditions for bacterial cellulose production using Box-Behnken design. , 2005, Biotechnology and bioengineering.

[17]  Leif J Jönsson,et al.  Comparison of methods for detoxification of spruce hydrolysate for bacterial cellulose production , 2013, Microbial Cell Factories.

[18]  J. C. Villar,et al.  Use of bacterial cellulose in degraded paper restoration. Part II: application on real samples , 2015, Journal of Materials Science.

[19]  Y K Yang,et al.  Effects of pH and dissolved oxygen on cellulose production by Acetobacter xylinum BRC5 in agitated culture. , 1999, Journal of bioscience and bioengineering.

[20]  Kunihiko Watanabe,et al.  Degree of Polymerization of Cellulose from Acetobacter xylinum BPR2001 Decreased by Cellulase Produced by the Strain. , 1997, Bioscience, biotechnology, and biochemistry.

[21]  S. Kuga,et al.  Mercerization and acid hydrolysis of bacterial cellulose , 1997 .

[22]  박상민,et al.  탄소원에 따른 Bacterial Cellulose의 물성 , 2010 .

[23]  Athanasios Mantalaris,et al.  More than meets the eye in bacterial cellulose: biosynthesis, bioprocessing, and applications in advanced fiber composites. , 2014, Macromolecular bioscience.

[24]  D. Danielewicz,et al.  Properties of Composites of Unbeaten Birch and Pine Sulphate Pulps with Bacterial Cellulose , 2008 .

[25]  L. Jönsson,et al.  Bacterial cellulose production from cotton-based waste textiles: enzymatic saccharification enhanced by ionic liquid pretreatment. , 2012, Bioresource technology.

[26]  T. Kouda,et al.  Effect of Agitator Configuration on Bacterial Cellulose Productivity in Aerated and Agitated Culture , 1997 .

[27]  B. Rånby,et al.  Recent Work on Molecular Weight of Cellulose , 1953 .

[28]  Robert Evans,et al.  Cellulose molecular weights determined by viscometry , 1989 .

[29]  S. Patil,et al.  A novel biomaterial: bacterial cellulose and its new era applications , 2014, Biotechnology and applied biochemistry.

[30]  A. Terpou,et al.  Progress in bacterial cellulose matrices for biotechnological applications. , 2016, Bioresource technology.

[31]  Lin Chen,et al.  Biotransformation of wheat straw to bacterial cellulose and its mechanism. , 2013, Bioresource technology.

[32]  Feng F. Hong,et al.  Wheat straw acid hydrolysate as a potential cost-effective feedstock for production of bacterial cellulose , 2011 .

[33]  Cheng-Kang Lee,et al.  Utilization of acetate buffer to improve bacterial cellulose production by Gluconacetobacter xylinus , 2016 .

[34]  Kunihiko Watanabe,et al.  Research Progress in Production of Bacterial Cellulose by Aeration and Agitation Culture and Its Application as a New Industrial Material , 1997 .