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Dried Xanthan Gum/Nanocellulose for Thermoplastic Starch Reinforcement
Dissertation (MSc (Chemical Engineering))--University of Pretoria, 2024.
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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University of Pretoria
2024
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| _version_ | 1867613679028011008 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author2 | Focke, Walter Wilhelm |
| author_browse | Focke, Walter Wilhelm |
| author_facet | Focke, Walter Wilhelm |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | © 2023 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. |
| description | Dissertation (MSc (Chemical Engineering))--University of Pretoria, 2024. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/94526 |
| institution | University of Pretoria (South Africa) |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:39:58.654Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository |
| publishDate | 2024 |
| publishDateRange | 2024 |
| publishDateSort | 2024 |
| publisher | University of Pretoria |
| publisherStr | University of Pretoria |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository |
| spelling | oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/94526 Dried Xanthan Gum/Nanocellulose for Thermoplastic Starch Reinforcement Focke, Walter Wilhelm u18076272@tuks.co.za du Toit, Elizabeth Louisa Hoek, Zian UCTD Xanthan gum Thermoplastic starch Cellulose nanofibrils Hornification Dissertation (MSc (Chemical Engineering))--University of Pretoria, 2024. Nanocellulose fibres are known to enhance the mechanical properties of biopolymers by acting as a reinforcing additive. However, the formation of irreversible hydrogen bonds and subsequent agglomeration upon drying means that nanocellulose is commercially only available as an aqueous suspension containing in excess of 75 % water. This not only increases transportation costs, rendering its use financially unsustainable but also limits its applicability in hydrophobic polymers. Therefore, it is crucial to produce dried and redispersible nanocellulose that retains its properties as a polymer filler to fully realise its potential in this field. In this work, the hydrocolloid, xanthan gum, proved to effectively prevent nanocellulose hornification when added to aqueous suspensions at levels as low as 15 % — based on the mass of nanocellulose — prior to drying. This was confirmed by several complementary techniques including rheology, turbidimetry, SEM- and TEM-imaging, as well as colloidal stability analyses. When xanthan gum and nanocellulose were incorporated into thermoplastic starch, a synergistic effect between the two additive materials on the tensile strength of the resultant biopolymer films was evident. The addition of previously dried nanocellulose/xanthan, in a 4:1 ratio, to thermoplastic starch at a starch-cellulose ratio of 20:1, increased the tensile strength from 5.4 MPa to 23.0 MPa. This confirmed that xanthan gum as a nanocellulose capping agent has the potential to enhance its usefulness as a biopolymer additive. Paper Manufacturers Association of South Africa (PAMSA) and the Department of Science and Innovation under Grant No. DST/CON 0004/2019 Chemical Engineering MSc (Chemical Engineering) Unrestricted Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology SDG-12:Responsible consumption and production SDG-14:Life below water SDG-15:Life on land 2024-02-13T09:29:28Z 2024-02-13T09:29:28Z 2024-05-09 2024-02-05 Dissertation * April 2024 http://hdl.handle.net/2263/94526 https://doi.org/10.25403/UPresearchdata.24265162.v1 en © 2023 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. application/pdf University of Pretoria |
| spellingShingle | UCTD Xanthan gum Thermoplastic starch Cellulose nanofibrils Hornification Dried Xanthan Gum/Nanocellulose for Thermoplastic Starch Reinforcement |
| title | Dried Xanthan Gum/Nanocellulose for Thermoplastic Starch Reinforcement |
| title_full | Dried Xanthan Gum/Nanocellulose for Thermoplastic Starch Reinforcement |
| title_fullStr | Dried Xanthan Gum/Nanocellulose for Thermoplastic Starch Reinforcement |
| title_full_unstemmed | Dried Xanthan Gum/Nanocellulose for Thermoplastic Starch Reinforcement |
| title_short | Dried Xanthan Gum/Nanocellulose for Thermoplastic Starch Reinforcement |
| title_sort | dried xanthan gum nanocellulose for thermoplastic starch reinforcement |
| topic | UCTD Xanthan gum Thermoplastic starch Cellulose nanofibrils Hornification |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/2263/94526 https://doi.org/10.25403/UPresearchdata.24265162.v1 |