Extraction of cellulose from different waste materials as a means to illustrate the relevance and the possibilities of the process of waste upcycling

Abstract

The aim of this work is illustrating a possible example for explaining the upcycling of waste, hence producing value from it, for possible future use e.g., as viscose in the fashion industry. This has been performed by comparing the results obtained from different cellulose waste, especially yield of the product and its apparent quality. The first objective of the experiments is explaining the chemical procedure to recover cellulose waste for further use. After this, the cellulose extracted is characterized as concerns its morphological structure in terms of dimensions of the fibers obtained. Then, infrared analysis data are compared with those available from previously analyzed cellulose with known composition. Through this experience, the students are introduced to the importance of upcycling in general terms, starting with examples of though they are also presented with the very variable quality of the product obtained from cellulose waste, so to be able to make considerations about the possibility to proceed with the experiment and eventually developing it to an industrial level.