Poly (vinyl alcohol) as a capping agent in oven dried cellulose nanofibrils

Commercialization of cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) involves addressing various challenges. Among them, wet storage and transport of CNFs due to their irreversible agglomeration when dehydrated (i.e., hornification) is a pressing issue, as it increases transportation costs. Various alternatives have been proposed in literature, some of which require the use of high-energy treatments to facilitate their redispersion after drying, while others may be inadequate when applied to food and pharmaceutical applications. The present work examines a new approach that involves using poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) as a capping agent to redisperse CNFs. Different CNF to PVA ratios were used, and redispersed samples were analyzed in terms of their morphological, physicochemical and rheological properties to assess changes occurring during processing. Results show that the ratio of CNFs to PVA affects the final properties of the redispersed product, when the ratio 1:2.5 was used, the redispersed product closely resembles the never dried sample.