The present disclosure relates to a method for controlling thermoplasticity and toughness of a redox-modified plant fiber, comprising following steps: (1) pretreating a plant fiber; (2) obtaining an oxidation-modified plant fiber by adding an oxidant solution, then filtering, and washing; and obtaining the redox-modified plant fiber by adding a reductant solution, then filtering, and washing; and (3) fully mixing a plasticizer with the redox-modified plant fiber; the plasticizer being a hydroxyl plasticizer, an ionic liquid plasticizer, a deep eutectic solvent, an ester plasticizer, an amine plasticizer, a glycidyl plasticizer, or an inorganic salt plasticizer. The method according to the present disclosure can improve the toughness of the redox-modified plant fiber material, reduce the processing temperature of the plant fiber material, and broaden the processing window of the plant fiber material.

A polymer-nanocellulose-lignin composite as disclosed comprises a polymer, nanocellulose, and lignin, wherein lignin forms a hydrophobic interface between the polymer and the nanocellulose. In some variations, a process is disclosed for producing a polymer-nanocellulose-lignin composite material, comprising: fractionating lignocellulosic biomass in the presence of an acid, a solvent for lignin, and water, to generate cellulose-rich solids and a liquid containing hemicellulose and lignin, wherein lignin deposits onto fiber surfaces or into fiber pores; mechanically treating the cellulose-rich solids to form a hydrophobic nanocellulose material comprising cellulose fibrils and/or cellulose crystals; hydrolyzing the hemicellulose to generate fermentable hemicellulosic sugars; fermenting the fermentable hemicellulosic sugars to generate a monomer or monomer precursor; polymerizing the monomer to produce a polymer; and combining the polymer with the lignin-coated nanocellulose to generate a polymer-nanocellulose-lignin composite material for use in a wide variety of products.

The invention related to an apparatus for recycling of lignocellulosic fibres from a fibreboard comprising compressed lignocellulosic fibres bonded together by a binding agent. The apparatus comprises a transport device arranged within a closed housing, wherein the housing is arranged for steaming pieces of the fibreboard at super-atmospheric pressure to decompress and release the lignocellulosic fibres by hydrating them, as well as hydrolysing the binding agent, and the transport device is arranged for transporting the fibreboard pieces, upon being steamed, from an inlet of the housing, at which the fibreboard pieces are fed to the housing, to an outlet of the housing, at which steamed portions comprising released lignocellulosic fibres exit the housing. Further, the apparatus comprises a steam generator in communication with the housing, whereby the fibreboard pieces may be steamed at super-atmospheric pressure in the housing to provide the steamed portions comprising released lignocellulosic fibres, an inlet pressure lock configured to receive the fibreboard pieces at atmospheric pressure and to deliver them to the housing, via the inlet, at super-atmospheric pressure, and an outlet pressure lock configured to receive steamed portions comprising released lignocellulosic fibres via the outlet and ejecting recycled lignocellulosic fibres during a sudden expansion of super-atmospheric pressure.

A defibrating method includes the steps of: preparing a material which contains fibers and a compound represented by the following formula (1); and defibrating the material.
RO(0).sub.m(PO).sub.nH  (1) In the formula, R represents an alkyl or an alkenyl group having 6 to 22 carbon atoms or an alkylaryl group including an alkyl group which has 4 to 20 carbon atoms, E represents an ethylene group, P represents a propylene group, m and n each represent an average number of added moles, m represents a numerical value of 0 to 20, n represents a numerical value of 1 to 10, and (EO).sub.m(PO).sub.n represents a block addition structure.

[Object] The present invention provides a dry solid containing fine cellulose fibers having excellent redispersibility in a solvent such as water, and a simple production method for producing a dry solid containing fine cellulose fibers. Another object of the present invention is to provide a fine cellulose fiber redispersion liquid having excellent transparency and viscosity property. [Method for Achieving the Object] The dry solid containing fine cellulose fibers according to one embodiment of the present invention contains fine cellulose fibers having a sulfur introduction amount attributable to sulfo groups being 0.5 mmol/g or more. The production method of the dry solid containing fine cellulose fibers of the present invention comprises a drying step in which drying is performed at a relatively low temperature under a low pressure. The fine cellulose fiber redispersion liquid of the present invention contains the fine cellulose fiber redispersion liquid and water and has desirable redispersibility in terms of transparency, viscosity property, and precipitation property.

In a process for producing bleached mechanical woodpulp, said process comprising the steps of

a) delaminating comparatively large particles of wood, which have optionally been pretreated with chemicals and/or water, into modified particles of wood,

b) grinding the modified particles of wood from a) in one or more refiners,

c) optionally treating the stalk obtained in step b) with oxidative or reductive bleaching agents, a composition Z is present during step a) and/or step b), said composition Z comprising one or more of the following components (Z1) to (Z3): a salt of dithionous acid H.sub.2S.sub.2O.sub.4(Z1), a dithionous acid or dithionous acid derivative generator compound (Z2), a salt of sulfurous acid (sulfite) plus sodium tetraborohydride (Z3) and also optionally additives (Z4).

The invention discloses a method for preparing chitosan and a derivative nanofiber thereof by mechanical means. The method comprises: firstly pre-treating a chitosan fiber or a chitosan derivative fiber material (referred to as chitosan fiber) of a suitable length with water or alkali or acid of an appropriate concentration added, then refining or beating the treated fiber (preferably using a beating device in a beating and papermaking process) to obtain a micro-sized chitosan fiber, and finally homogenizing the micro-sized chitosan fiber under a high pressure to obtain a chitosan nanofiber. According to an electron microscope image, the obtained chitosan nanofiber reaches a nano-level. The method is simple in operation and convenient for industrial production, and the obtained chitosan nanofiber with a new topology has broad application prospects in biomedicine, daily chemical engineering and special materials.

Where hydrothermal pretreatment of lignocellulosic feedstocks is conducted so as to avoid agitation, melted lignin microdroplets remain very small in size, typically <3 μm. Carrying a net negative surface charge at neutral pH, the solidified microdroplets can be recovered from biogas digestate or process effluents from other biological conversion systems as a liquid fraction following solid/liquid separation to remove fibers, silicates and other suspended solids. This liquid suspension can be concentrated and used directly in chemical and thermochemical conversion systems with or without catalysts. Alternatively, the lignin microparticles can be flocculated and collected as a purified solid fraction. The solids can be solubilized in NaOH at room temperature as wet filter cake and used for base catalysed depolymerization or as fundamental reagent in production of phenolic resins, binder and dispersants. At least with straw and grass feedstocks, the lignin microparticles also include wax content which can be recovered separately.

A cleaning head is disclosed for use in a traversing shower system. The cleaning head includes a plurality of directional fluid nozzles for discharging a fluid, each of which is provided along a different direction toward a work surface such that no two directions cross one another between the cleaning head and a working surface.

Included are methods and systems for controlling the rheology of a treatment fluid. An example method comprises selecting a cellulose feedstock source to provide a cellulose capable of being processed into a nanocellulose having an average desired aspect ratio, and processing the cellulose with a cellulose processing technique to provide the nanocellulose with the average desired aspect ratio. The method further comprises adding the nanocellulose to the treatment fluid; wherein the nanocellulose alters a rheological property of the treatment fluid to provide an altered treatment fluid, and introducing the altered treatment fluid into a wellbore.