Manufacture and characterization of cationic nano-fibrillated cellulose from cotton pulp

The applicability of cotton-bleached soda pulp (C-BSP) was investigated as a raw material for manufacturing cationic nano-fibrillated cellulose (NFC) via quaternization of anionic NFC using glycidyl-trimethyl-ammonium chloride (GMA). The anionic NFC was prepared by beating and micro-grinding C-BSP, and quaternization was performed post treatment to induce a charge reversal in anionic NFC. The characteristics of cationic NFC manufactured using C-BSP and hardwood-bleached kraft pulp (Hw-BKP) as a control were analyzed. Relatively higher mechanical energy was required to prepare anionic NFC from C-BSP than that from Hw-BKP. Fourier transform infrared and zeta potential analyses results showed that quaternization by GMA post treatment electrostatically induced charge reversal in anionic NFC. However, GMA did not affect the fiber width and viscosity of the cationic NFCs. It was found that cationic NFC could be manufactured via quaternization of anionic NFC manufactured from C-BSP using less GMA than that for Hw-BKP.