ORCID
- Swarna Jaiswal: 0000-0003-1414-9052
- Amit K. Jaiswal: 0000-0002-4551-4182
Abstract
This study investigates a sustainable and efficient approach to valorising barley straw by producing nanocellulose via an integrated subcritical alkaline hydrolysis and HDES-assisted processing pathway. Subcritical alkaline pretreatment under best processing conditions (150 bar, 200 °C, 125 min) enabled effective biomass fractionation, achieving average hemicellulose and lignin solubilisation of 57.72% and 82.69%, respectively. Subsequent purification of the pretreated solid fraction yielded cellulose fibres with an average cellulose yield of 41.97% and a purity of 87.87%. Nanocellulose was then obtained using a sequential HDES treatment followed by high-intensity ultrasound (HIUS), producing a sample (NC-BTW-3) in which 66% of particles exhibited diameters below 100 nm, 15.2% were between 100 and 200 nm, and 19% were within the 200–1000 nm range. The resulting nanocellulose demonstrated good colloidal stability, with an average zeta potential of −33.0 mV. Overall, the work highlights a green and effective processing strategy for the valorisation of agricultural residues into high-value nanocellulose suitable for bio-based material applications.
Keywords
agricultural waste, hydrated deep eutectic solvent, nanocellulose, subcritical, ultrasound
DOI Link
Publication Date
2026-01-01
Publication Title
Molecules
Volume
31
Issue
3
Deposit Date
2026-03-02
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Additional Links
Recommended Citation
Pradhan, Dileswar; Jaiswal, Swarna; Tiwari, Brijesh K.; and Jaiswal, Amit K., "Valorisation of Barley Straw for Sustainable Nanocellulose Production via Subcritical Alkaline Hydrolysis and HDES-Assisted Processing" (2026). Research Outputs: 2025-Present. 53.
https://arrow.tudublin.ie/schfsehro/53