Effect of lignin in cellulose nanofibers on biodegradation and seed germination

Abstract Pure cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) rapidly degrade in soil, limiting their prospective applications in agriculture. We incorporated lignin into CNFs as an antimicrobial and crosslinking agent to control the biodegradation rate. CNFs with different lignin concentrations were prepared by mechan...

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Main Authors: Craig W. Stocker, Vanessa N. L. Wong, Antonio F. Patti, Gil Garnier
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SpringerOpen 2024-01-01
Series:Chemical and Biological Technologies in Agriculture
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s40538-023-00528-y
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author Craig W. Stocker
Vanessa N. L. Wong
Antonio F. Patti
Gil Garnier
author_facet Craig W. Stocker
Vanessa N. L. Wong
Antonio F. Patti
Gil Garnier
author_sort Craig W. Stocker
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Pure cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) rapidly degrade in soil, limiting their prospective applications in agriculture. We incorporated lignin into CNFs as an antimicrobial and crosslinking agent to control the biodegradation rate. CNFs with different lignin concentrations were prepared by mechanochemical treatment in the presence of choline chloride-urea deep eutectic solvent. These were characterized using conductometric titration, scanning electron microscopy, and FT-IR. The fibers were applied to soil to determine the effect of lignin on soil respiration and nanocellulose degradation, and were used as a substrate for radish and cress seed germination. Modifying the lignin content of the fibers successfully modulated the biodegradation rate in soil. Fibers containing 35% lignin degraded 5.7% in 14 days, while fibers with 20% lignin degraded 20.8% in 14 days. Nanofiber suspensions showed low chemical inhibition for the germination of radish and cress seeds but higher lignin contents reduced the imbibition rate as a seed coating. This study presents the first use of lignin to control the biodegradation rate of cellulose nanofibers in a one-pot, scalable and sustainable system, allowing the advancement of lignocellulose nanofibers for applications such as seed coatings, mulches, and controlled release fertilizers. Graphical Abstract
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spelling doaj.art-b4e11ef25fc34ce2a09ecfed8dc592c72024-03-05T16:22:15ZengSpringerOpenChemical and Biological Technologies in Agriculture2196-56412024-01-0111111110.1186/s40538-023-00528-yEffect of lignin in cellulose nanofibers on biodegradation and seed germinationCraig W. Stocker0Vanessa N. L. Wong1Antonio F. Patti2Gil Garnier3Bioresource Processing Research Institute of Australia , Department of Chemical and Biological EngineeringSchool of Earth, Atmosphere and Environment, Monash UniversitySchool of Chemistry, Monash UniversityBioresource Processing Research Institute of Australia , Department of Chemical and Biological EngineeringAbstract Pure cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) rapidly degrade in soil, limiting their prospective applications in agriculture. We incorporated lignin into CNFs as an antimicrobial and crosslinking agent to control the biodegradation rate. CNFs with different lignin concentrations were prepared by mechanochemical treatment in the presence of choline chloride-urea deep eutectic solvent. These were characterized using conductometric titration, scanning electron microscopy, and FT-IR. The fibers were applied to soil to determine the effect of lignin on soil respiration and nanocellulose degradation, and were used as a substrate for radish and cress seed germination. Modifying the lignin content of the fibers successfully modulated the biodegradation rate in soil. Fibers containing 35% lignin degraded 5.7% in 14 days, while fibers with 20% lignin degraded 20.8% in 14 days. Nanofiber suspensions showed low chemical inhibition for the germination of radish and cress seeds but higher lignin contents reduced the imbibition rate as a seed coating. This study presents the first use of lignin to control the biodegradation rate of cellulose nanofibers in a one-pot, scalable and sustainable system, allowing the advancement of lignocellulose nanofibers for applications such as seed coatings, mulches, and controlled release fertilizers. Graphical Abstracthttps://doi.org/10.1186/s40538-023-00528-yLignocelluloseNanofibersSuccinylationDeep eutectic solventBiodegradationSeed germination
spellingShingle Craig W. Stocker
Vanessa N. L. Wong
Antonio F. Patti
Gil Garnier
Effect of lignin in cellulose nanofibers on biodegradation and seed germination
Chemical and Biological Technologies in Agriculture
Lignocellulose
Nanofibers
Succinylation
Deep eutectic solvent
Biodegradation
Seed germination
title Effect of lignin in cellulose nanofibers on biodegradation and seed germination
title_full Effect of lignin in cellulose nanofibers on biodegradation and seed germination
title_fullStr Effect of lignin in cellulose nanofibers on biodegradation and seed germination
title_full_unstemmed Effect of lignin in cellulose nanofibers on biodegradation and seed germination
title_short Effect of lignin in cellulose nanofibers on biodegradation and seed germination
title_sort effect of lignin in cellulose nanofibers on biodegradation and seed germination
topic Lignocellulose
Nanofibers
Succinylation
Deep eutectic solvent
Biodegradation
Seed germination
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s40538-023-00528-y
work_keys_str_mv AT craigwstocker effectofligninincellulosenanofibersonbiodegradationandseedgermination
AT vanessanlwong effectofligninincellulosenanofibersonbiodegradationandseedgermination
AT antoniofpatti effectofligninincellulosenanofibersonbiodegradationandseedgermination
AT gilgarnier effectofligninincellulosenanofibersonbiodegradationandseedgermination