In a world increasingly focused on environmental sustainability and the imperative of efficient waste management, innovative approaches in material science are becoming crucial. This research is centered on the synthesis of cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) from post-use exam waste paper and the development of a chitosan-CNC (CS-CNCs) composite. CNCs were successfully isolated from waste paper by alkali treatment, bleaching, and sulfuric acid hydrolysis with FTIR and XRD analyses confirming successful extraction and a crystallinity index of 66.3%. TEM imaging revealed CNCs with a unique spherical morphology and diameters of 6-7 nm, significantly smaller than those reported in existing literature. Chitosan (CS), derived from shrimp shell waste, was integrated into the CNCs to form a composite thin film. This film, as revealed by SEM, had a homogeneous and consistent structure. The CS-CNCs composite demonstrated superior mechanical properties, with tensile strength increasing from 17.74 megapascal (MPa) in pure CS film to 22.08 MPa in composite, indicating its potential for robust and sustainable packaging materials. Soil degradation tests over 25 days showed a 24.7% degradation for CS-CNCs films, compared to 9.09% for CS films, underscoring their enhanced biodegradability. The composite exhibited notable antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli, suggesting its suitability for medical and hygiene applications. The measured contact angle of 80.4 degrees indicates the film's hydrophilicity, making it an excellent candidate for self-cleaning surfaces, such as textiles and windows. Remarkably, the CS-CNCs composite demonstrated exceptional photocatalytic degradation of Alizarin Red S dye, achieving 99.7% efficiency in 45 min, far surpassing the 87% efficiency of standalone CS films. The study showcases the green-synthesized CS-CNCs composite from waste paper offering an effective, eco-friendly, and economical approach for wastewater treatment due to its dual capabilities in dye degradation and antibacterial properties, while also opening avenues for its prospective application in self-cleaning surfaces, environmental remediation, and packaging thereby presenting a sustainable and economical solution for environmental cleanup and material innovation.

Chilled meat is prone to microbial contamination during storage, resulting in a shortened shelf life. This study developed multifunctional biodegradable aerogel with water absorption, antibacterial, and sustained release properties as a preservation pad for meat, using corn straw cellulose nanocrystals (CSCNCs) and acetylated starch (AS) as the structural skeleton and thymol (TMO) nanoemulsions as antimicrobials. The effects of different mass ratios of CSCNCs/AS on the morphology, structure, physical properties, and release behavior of aerogels were systematically analyzed. Additionally, their antibacterial properties, biocompatibility, and biodegradability were investigated. The results showed that the aerogels with CSCNC/AS mass ratio of 1:5 had a tailored structure for loading TMO nanoemulsions, as well as excellent water absorption, mechanical properties, and thermal stability. Due to strong hydrogen bonding and a porous structure, the TMO in the aerogels was continuously and uniformly released into high-water-activity and fatty food simulants, mainly controlled by Fickian diffusion. Furthermore, it exhibited superior antibacterial properties and biocompatibility. The application of aerogels for chilled beef preservation extended the shelf life from 8 days to approximately 12 days, which was superior to commercially available preservation pads. Notably, the aerogels exhibited superior biodegradability in soil. Therefore, the prepared aerogel preservation pads showed great potential in preserving chilled meat.

Controlled release of pesticides in response to environmental stimuli using hydrogels as carriers is a feasible approach to improve the effective utilization rates of pesticides. In this regard, modified carboxylated cellulose nanocrystal (CCNC)-based hydrogels with appropriate biocompatibilities and high specific surface areas have broad prospects. Accordingly, in this study, a pH -responsive hydrogel loaded with the pesticide thiamethoxam (TXM) (PEI-CCNC@A-MMT/TXM) was constructed by synergistically introducing CCNC modified with polyethyleneimine (PEI) into cost-effective acidified montmorillonite (A-MMT) via electrostatic self -assembly followed by combination with sodium alginate (SA) by emulsion - gel method via ionic crosslinking. PEI-CCNC@AMMT efficiently improved the mechanical properties of the SA hydrogel and ensured the stability and TXM loading efficiency of this hydrogel; however, the hydrogel stress increased from 9.48 to 41.44 kPa under 20 % compressive strain when the mass ratio of A-MMT to PEI -modified CCNC (PEI-CCNC) was increased from 0 to 0.8. PEI-CCNC@A-MMT/TXM exhibited significant controlled -release characteristics with the change in pH; specifically, with an increase in pH from 5.0 to 9.0, the cumulative release ratio of TXM increased from 53.62 to 94.86 wt % within 48 h of the addition of PEI-CCNC@A-MMT/TXM to the phosphate buffered saline solution. Fitting the six models to the release curves proved that swelling, dissolution, and diffusion acted together during TXM release, and release mechanisms for TXM under different pH conditions were proposed. The release behaviors of PEI-CCNC@A-MMT/TXM in soil indicated that this hydrogel effectively prolonged the release of TXM, and only 91.53 wt % TXM was released within 240 h after the hydrogel entered the soil. The bacterial activity revealed that the hydrogel did not destroy the microbial environment of the soil and demonstrated high biocompatibility. This study provides a promising strategy for regulating the pesticide release behavior, improving pesticide utilization, and reducing environmental pollution of pesticides via introducing low-cost AMMT and green CCNC into the SA hydrogel and applying this hydrogel as a pesticide carrier.

Functional membranes that are both robust and porous with selective wettability find widespread application in oil/water separation processes. This study used polyacrylonitrile (PAN), surfactant-modified cellulose nanocrystals (H-CNC) and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) as the raw materials to prepare a nanofibrous membrane (HCNC/PPAN) with a strong loess-beam-like structure using the electrospinning and sacrificing template strategy. Surfactant adsorption enabled stable dispersion of H-CNC within the polymer matrix. The tensile strength and Young's modulus were 7.46 +/- 0.36 MPa and 150.66 +/- 33.12 MPa, respectively, which represent an increase by 3.15 times and 1.89 times when compared to the corresponding values of the PAN membrane. The H-CNC/PPAN membrane obtained a good pore size distribution after removing PVP by water etching, as a result of the formation of furrows and micro-meso-pores. Moreover, the etching process effectively improved the mechanical properties of the membranes. Based on the presence of hydroxyl and amide groups on the membrane surface, the membrane displayed pre-wetting induced underwater superoleophobicity and underoil superhydrophobicity. Driven by gravity, an ultra-high permeation flux of 7210.51 L & sdot;m � 2 & sdot;h- 1 and a separation efficiency of over 98.93% were achieved. Thanks to its excellent oil repellency and good resistance to acid, alkali and salt, the HCNC/PAN membrane is highly sustainable and has broad potential applications in the field of oil/water separation.

In this study, the base film (CSL) was prepared by blending tunicate cellulose nanocrystals (TCNCs) extracted from tunicate shells, with sodium alginate (SA) and alkali lignin (AL). Then, the mulching film (CSL-WK) was prepared using water-borne polyurethane (WPU) as binder to install low-energy Kaolin on the surface of CSL film. The influences of composition with different concentrations on mechanical properties were studied. The tensile strength and elongation at break of CSL-WK film could reach 86.58 MPa and 50.49 %, respectively. The mulching films were characterized by degradability test, SEM, FTIR, and TGA. TCNCs had good compatibility with SA and AL, and a rough structure was formed on the surface of the film to improve the hydrophobicity. The barrier properties, including ultraviolet resistance, water contact angle, water vapor permeability, water retention, and flame retardancy, were tested. The results showed that CSL-WK films could block 97 % of ultraviolet light, reduce about 25 % of soil water loss, and self-extinguish within 7 s of open flame ignition. Note that the secondary spraying method significantly improved the barrier property of films. This study lays a foundation for the preparation of ecologically friendly, biodegradable, and high barrier mulching film, and expands the application of marine resources.

The widespread use of petroleum-based plastic mulch in agriculture has accelerated white and microplastic pollution while posing a severe agroecological challenge due to its difficulty in decomposing in the natural environment. However, endowing mulch film with degradability and growth cycle adaptation remains elusive due to the inherent non-degradability of petroleum-based plastics severely hindering its applications. This work reports polylactic acids hyperbranched composite mulch (PCP) and measured biodegradation behavior under burial soil, seawater, and ultraviolet (UV) aging to understand the biodegradation kinetics and to increase their sustainability in the agriculture field. Due to high interfacial interactions between polymer and nanofiler, the resultant PCP mulch significantly enhances crystallization ability, hydrophilicity, and mechanical properties. PCP mulch can be scalable-manufactured to exhibit modulated degradation performance under varying degradation conditions and periods while concurrently enhancing crop growth (wheat). Thus, such mulch with excellent performance can reduce labor costs and the environmental impact of waste mulch disposal to replace traditional mulch for sustainable agricultural production.