Page 17 - Georgia Forestry - Spring 2017

Working with Nanocellulose
Pros
Cons
Biocompatible
Renewable
Recyclable
Its chemical structure makes it easier to work with than some other materials.
New and exciting frontier
It’s new so there are still many unknowns.
Limited supply
Inconsistency of supply, and researchers need consistency to demonstrate findings
Scalability
RBI co-sponsors many research projects, including one by Assistant Professor Kyriaki Kalaitzidou,
who is studying the benefits of nanocellulose in the automotive industry. Opposite Page:
A series of compressors shepherds nanocellulose- infused resin toward a rock- hard, useful form.
generation is all about making this world a better place, whether it’s using less water as things are made or creating less waste for landfills. And if the performance gain is significant, consumers wouldn’t mind paying extra.”
But here’s the beauty of nanocellulose: it’s a renewable material that can sometimes lower costs as it improves performance.
Kalaitzidou’s cellulose-infused polymer com- posite, for instance, could someday take significant weight out of a car in which it’s used, thus improving fuel efficiency. Or it might replace expensive carbon fiber-based polymers in an aerospace application.
It’s this potential — not to mention the fact that nanocellulose is relatively easy to work with, requir- ing fewer chemical modifications than some other green materials — that’s got Kalaitzidou and many other Georgia Tech scientists enchanted with it. Many of these researchers are working under the auspices of the Renewable Bioproducts Institute, once known as the Institute of Paper Science and Technology.
“Nanocellulose,” points out Renewable Bioprod- ucts Institute Executive Director Norman Marsolan, “can go into everything from concrete to paper to medical devices. It can be 3D-printed. There’s a
whole list of potential markets for the future.” Emphasis on the word future. Scientists have learned plenty about nanocellulose, but it’s still very much a new frontier. Only in the past five years or so have suppliers been producing it with the volume
and consistency needed for research.
“The research we are doing is still in its early
stages,” confirms Professor of Material Science and Engineering Satish Kumar, who is using both nano- cellulose and the wood-derived lignin to improve the strength of carbon fibers for use in the automotive and aerospace industries. “But look at the Boeing 787 (an airplane crafted, according to Boeing’s website, with a revolutionary amount of carbon fiber- reinforced plastic and other composites). The first plane was rolled out in 2010, but the research began in 1960. It took 50 years for it to get into the marketplace.”
Brook Byers Professor of Chemical and Biomolec- ular Engineering Elsa Reichmanis is exploring the use of nanocellulose in films and paper-like products with electrical properties. Think “smart packaging” that could provide information about its contents. She shares Kumar’s faith in nanocellulose’s future. She also can’t say when it will reach fruition.
“I do believe it’s going to happen, yes,” she says.
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