Tobacco-derived nanocellulose material

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10774472-B2
Application number	US-201916251557-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 18, 2019
Priority date	Mar 20, 2017
Publication date	Sep 15, 2020
Grant date	Sep 15, 2020

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to cellulose nanomaterials made or derived from tobacco and methods for the production thereof. The tobacco-derived cellulose nanomaterials can be employed in various industrial applications such as film forming applications and solution thickening technologies. In particular, the disclosure is directed to methods for preparing tobacco-derived cellulose nanomaterials using less fibrillation cycles than in the production of wood pulp. The invention includes a method for preparing tobacco derived nanocellulose material comprising receiving a tobacco pulp in a dilute form such that the tobacco pulp is a tobacco pulp suspension with a consistency of less than about 5%; and mechanically fibrillating the tobacco pulp suspension to generate a tobacco derived nanocellulose material having at least one average particle size dimension in the range of about 1 nm to about 100 nm.

First claim

That which is claimed:

1. A tobacco-derived nanocellulose material adapted for fluid absorbency having at least one average particle size dimension in the range of about 1 nm to about 100 nm, wherein the tobacco-derived nanocellulose material has one or more of the following:
a. a tensile strength greater than about 120 Mpa;
b. a strain of at least about 11%; and
c. a tensile modulus of at least about 4 Gpa.

2. The tobacco-derived nanocellulose material of claim 1 , wherein the tobacco-derived nanocellulose material is derived from tobacco root, tobacco stalk, tobacco fiber or a combination thereof.

3. The tobacco-derived nanocellulose material of claim 1 , wherein the tensile strength is greater than about 130 Mpa.

4. The tobacco-derived nanocellulose material of claim 3 , wherein the tensile strength is greater than about 140 Mpa.

5. The tobacco-derived nanocellulose material of claim 1 , wherein the oxygen permeability of the tobacco-derived nanocellulose material is at least one of:
a. less than 0.2 cc×mm/m 2 ×day at a temperature of 23° C. and at a relative humidity (RH) of 0%; and
b. less than about 20 cc×mm/m 2 ×day at a temperature of 23° C. and at a relative humidity (RH) of 80%.

6. The tobacco-derived nanocellulose material of claim 1 , wherein the tobacco-derived nanocellulose material has an apparent viscosity of at least about 20,000 mPa*s at a consistency of 1.5%.

7. The tobacco-derived nanocellulose material of claim 6 , wherein the tobacco-derived nanocellulose material has an apparent viscosity of at least about 25,000 mPa*s at a consistency of 1.5%.

8. A tobacco-derived nanocellulose material adapted for fluid absorbency having at least one average particle size dimension in the range of about 1 nm to about 100 nm, wherein the tobacco-derived nanocellulose material comprises cellulose nanofibrils having a surface modified by addition of hydrophobic, hydrophilic, or polar functional groups.

9. The tobacco-derived nanocellulose material of claim 8 , wherein the tobacco-derived nanocellulose material comprises cellulose nanofibrils having a surface chemically modified by one or more of acetylation, silylation, oxidation, or carboxymethylation.

10. The tobacco-derived nanocellulose material of claim 8 , wherein the tobacco-derived nanocellulose material comprises cellulose nanofibrils having a surface chemically modified in a manner that forms ester groups.

11. The tobacco-derived nanocellulose material of claim 8 , wherein the tobacco-derived nanocellulose material comprises cellulose nanofibrils having a surface modified with polyelectrolyte solutions.

12. The tobacco-derived nanocellulose material of claim 8 , wherein the tobacco-derived nanocellulose material comprises cellulose nanofibrils having a surface modified by (2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-piperidine-1-yl)oxyl (TEMPO) oxidation.

13. A nanocellulose material adapted for fluid absorbency having at least one average particle size dimension in the range of about 1 nm to about 100 nm, wherein the nanocellulose material comprises cellulose nanofibrils having a surface modified by addition of hydrophobic, hydrophilic, or polar functional groups, and wherein the nanocellulose material is derived from a plant, algae, or bacteria source.

14. The nanocellulose material of claim 13 , wherein the nanocellulose material comprises cellulose nanofibrils having a surface chemically modified by one or more of acetylation, silylation, oxidation, or carboxymethylation.

15. The nanocellulose material of claim 13 , wherein the nanocellulose material comprises cellulose nanofibrils having a surface chemically modified in a manner that forms ester groups.

16. The nanocellulose material of claim 13 , wherein the nanocellulose material comprises cellulose nanofibrils having a surface modified with polyelectrolyte solutions.

17. The nanocellulose material of claim 13 , wherein the nanocellulose material comprises cellulose nanofibrils having a surface modified by TEMPO oxidation.

Assignees

• Reynolds Tobacco Co R

Inventors

• Sebastian Andries Don
• Debusk Samuel Mark
• Mcclanahan David Neil
• Lahtinen Panu
• Maeaettaenen Marjo
• Saerkilahti Airi

Classifications

• D21H11/12 Primary

  Pulp from non-woody plants or crops, e.g. cotton, flax, straw, bagasse · CPC title

• D21C9/007

  by mechanical or physical means · CPC title

• A24B15/10

  Chemical features of tobacco products or tobacco substitutes · CPC title

• D21H11/18

  Highly hydrated, swollen or fibrillatable fibres · CPC title

• A24B5/16

  Other treatment of stems or ribs, e.g. bending, chopping, incising (humidifying A24B3/04) · CPC title