Evaluation of Keratin-Cellulose Blend Fibers as Precursors for Carbon Fibers

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Volume Title

A1 Alkuperäisartikkeli tieteellisessä aikakauslehdessä

Date

2022-07-04

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en

Pages

12

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ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering, Volume 10, issue 26, pp. 8314-8325

Abstract

One main challenge to utilize cellulose-based fibers as the precursor for carbon fibers is their inherently low carbon yield. This study aims to evaluate the use of keratin in chicken feathers, a byproduct of the poultry industry generated in large quantities, as a natural charring agent to improve the yield of cellulose-derived carbon fibers. Keratin-cellulose composite fibers are prepared through direct dissolution of the pulp and feather keratin in the ionic liquid 1,5-diazabicyclo[4.3.0]non-5-enium acetate ([DBNH]OAc) and subsequent dry jet wet spinning (so-called Ioncell process). Thermogravimetric analysis reveals that there is an increase in the carbon yield by ∼53 wt % with 30 wt % keratin incorporation. This increase is comparable to the one observed for lignin-cellulose composite fibers, in which lignin acts as a carbon booster due to its higher carbon content. Keratin, however, reduces the mechanical properties of cellulose precursor fibers to a lesser extent than lignin. Keratin introduces nitrogen and induces the formation of pores in the precursor fibers and the resulting carbon fibers. Carbon materials derived from the keratin-cellulose composite fiber show potential for applications where nitrogen doping and pores or voids in the carbon are desirable, for example, for low-cost bio-based carbons for energy harvest or storage.

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| openaire: EC/H2020/715788/EU//WoCaFi

Keywords

carbon fiber, carbon nanostructure, cellulose, composite fiber, keratin, pyrolysis, synergistic effect

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Citation

Zahra, H, Selinger, J, Sawada, D, Ogawa, Y, Orelma, H, Ma, Y, Kumagai, S, Yoshioka, T & Hummel, M 2022, ' Evaluation of Keratin-Cellulose Blend Fibers as Precursors for Carbon Fibers ', ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering, vol. 10, no. 26, pp. 8314-8325 . https://doi.org/10.1021/acssuschemeng.2c00976