Cellulose nanocrystals from rice and oat husks and their application in aerogels for food packaging

This study describes the valorization of rice and oat husks by obtaining cellulose nanocrystals for the production of aerogels for food packaging applications. Commercial cellulose was used as a control sample. Nanocrystals from cellulose were obtained by enzymatic hydrolysis and mechanical treatment at high pressure. The morphology, particle size, functional groups, crystallinity, and thermal properties of the cellulose nanocrystals were analyzed. The morphology, functional groups, crystallinity, water absorption capability, and zeta potential of aerogels were also analyzed. Cellulose nanocrystals show different structural properties and crystallinity depending on the source of the cellulose. The average diameter of the nanocrystals varied from 16.0 to 28.8 nm. The aerogels prepared with cellulose nanocrystals showed a porous and uniform structure with a water absorption capacity between 264.2% and 402.8% at 25 °C. The aerogel of oat cellulose nanocrystals showed a larger pore size than that of eucalyptus cellulose nanocrystals, and this may have influenced the lowest water absorption capacity of the aerogels of eucalyptus cellulose nanocrystals. These results show that agroindustrial residues have promising applications in various industrial fields and could be used as aerogel absorbers of water in food packaging.