Benchmarking of nano-fibrillated Lignocellulose based on evaluation of turbidity of suspension

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Wood and Paper Science and Technology Department, Natural Resources Faculty, Tarbiat Modares University, Iran.

2 Department of Forestry and Cellulose Industry, Faculty of Natural Resources, Behbahan Khatam Alanbia University of Technology, Iran.

10.22059/jfwp.2026.402024.1369

Abstract

The production and application of nano-fibrillated cellulose and lignocellulose have been developed across a wide range of fields. Nevertheless, the diversity of raw materials and processing methods results in considerable variation in nanofibril properties, highlighting the need for simple and efficient indices to assess their quality for benchmarking purposes. The objective of this study was to investigate the feasibility of using suspension turbidity as an indirect criterion for benchmarking the quality of nano-fibrillated cellulose and lignocellulose. For this purpose, three types of poplar kraft pulp with different lignin contents (0.3%, 6.6%, and 12.6%) were produced and subjected to nano-fibrillation using an ultra-fine grinder. The chemical composition, crystallinity index, average nanofibril diameter, suspension turbidity, fibrillation yield, and mechanical properties of the produced films were evaluated. The results indicated that turbidity is a significant indicator for evaluating the quality and benchmarking of nano-fibrillated lignocellulose. Specifically, a 38% variation in turbidity was observed depending on the type of raw material, whereas benchmarking based on the tensile strength of the produced films—despite being time-consuming and susceptible to numerous errors during film preparation and measurement—showed a maximum difference of only 20% between the lowest and highest values. Moreover, the results showed that nano-fibrillated lignocellulose containing 6.6% lignin exhibited the lowest turbidity index, which was attributed to more effective fibrillation. Therefore, turbidity measurement is proposed as a simple, low-cost, and non-destructive approach for evaluating nanofibril quality, alongside conventional indices such as tensile strength and fibrillation yield. This method may also play a valuable role in the development of on-line, industrial-scale benchmarking of nano-fibrillated lignocellulose.

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References

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Forest and Wood Products
Volume 78, Issue 4
February 2026
Pages 367-379

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