Abstract: A method of processing an aqueous hemicellulosic stream containing lignin, comprising: (a) contacting an aqueous hemicellulosic stream containing lignin with a C3-8 alkyl alcohol at elevated temperature and acidic pH; (b) separating the reaction mixture obtained from step (a) into an aqueous phase containing hemicellulose-derived monosaccharide and an organic phase containing C3-8 alkyl alcohol; (c) concentrating the organic phase obtained from step (b) to remove at least some C3-8 alkyl alcohol; (d) treating the residue from step (c) with water or an aqueous medium having an alkaline pH; and (e) recovering C3-8 alkyl alcohol from the product of step (d).

Abstract: The present invention concerns a cellulose based composition for manufacturing a film or foil, which composition comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of cellulose acetate butyrate, cellulose acetate propionate and ethyl cellulose, together with tall oil fatty acid ester, as well as a manufacturing method thereof. The invention also concerns packaging film comprising the composition and use of the composition.

Abstract: The present invention provides a novel method for producing carboxymethylated cellulose, the method making it possible to economically obtain a high-transparency cellulose nanofiber dispersion. In the carboxymethylation of cellulose, mercerization is carried out in a solvent comprising mainly water, and then carboxymethylation is carried out in a mixed solvent of water and an organic solvent. A nanofiber dispersion of high-transparency carboxymethylated cellulose can be obtained by defibrating the resulting carboxymethylated cellulose.

Abstract: A sulfated cellulose fiber having a cellulose I crystal structure is provided. A chemically modified cellulose fiber which has a cellulose I crystal and in which some hydroxyl groups of cellulose are substituted with a substituent represented by formula (1). An amount of the substituent introduced is 0.1 mmol to 3.0 mmol per 1 g of the chemically modified cellulose fiber, and an average degree of polymerization is 350 or more. (In formula (1), M represents a monovalent to trivalent cation.) In the production of the chemically modified cellulose fiber, a cellulose fiber is treated with sulfamic acid while maintaining a cellulose fiber shape to allow sulfamic acid and a cellulose fine fiber which is a constituent of the cellulose fiber to react with each other.

Abstract: Method for making a film that comprises microfibrillated cellulose, wherein the film has low OTR values and especially suitable for a tropical environment. The method comprising the steps of providing a suspension comprising microfibrillated cellulose (MFC), forming a film from said suspension, wherein the film having a solid content above 40%, preferably above 50%, treating the film with flame or plasma treatment, such that a surface activation takes place on the film, and cooling the film, wherein the surface of the film having a decreased OTR value and a high moisture resistance.

Abstract: The method employs citric acid as the modifier, combines the citric acid with starch, achieves the good modification effect of starch at high temperature, and improves the digestion-resistant property of starch. Citric acid itself is nontoxic, the process conditions are mild and the treatment methods are relatively safe, which shows very high practical values. In the method, starch and citric acid are cross-linked by using the infrared treatment technology, and the dry heating treatment is used to promote the modifier citric acid into starch, thereby achieving significant and stable modification effects, and high modification efficiency.

Abstract: Reversibly crosslinked, water-soluble cellulose ethers having at least two different ether components is disclosed. At least one ether component is an alkyl, hydroxyalkyl or carboxymethyl group and at least one is an alkyl group having an aldehyde function which forms hydrolyzable hemiacetals with free OH groups of the cellulose ether. The cellulose ethers are obtainable by selective oxidation of cellulose ethers containing alkyl groups having vicinal OH groups (glycol cleavage). Preferably, water-soluble cellulose ethers are co-etherified simultaneously or subsequently with 2,3-epoxypropanol (glycidol) or 3-chloro-1,2-propanediol and the 2,3-dihydroxypropyl ether groups converted entirely or partly into 2-oxoethyl ether groups by oxidation. Suitable oxidants include periodate, periodic acid or lead tetraacetate. After washing and drying, cellulose ethers reversibly crosslinked via hemiacetals can be dispersed in water or aqueous solutions, going into solution homogeneously with a time delay.

Abstract: Fine cellulose fiber has a dispersion with a very high transparency and viscosity. A method is for producing the fine cellulose fiber. In the cellulose fiber, a part of hydroxy groups of cellulose fiber is substituted with a predetermined functional group to introduce an ester of phosphorus-oxo acid, and substituted with a carbamate group to introduce a carbamate. The method for producing fine cellulose fiber includes adding an additive (A) and an additive (B) including at least one of urea and a urea derivative to cellulose fiber, heating the mixture at 100 to 210° C., washing the mixture, and then fibrillating the mixture, the additive (B) being added in an amount of 0.01 to 100 mol based on 1 mol of the additive (A).

Abstract: The invention relates to a process for the manufacture of an alkylfluoroacrylate starting from alkylfluoroacetate and an oxalic acid ester, wherein an alkane liquid under the reaction conditions is applied as the solvent in one of the reaction steps.

Abstract: A process includes: (a) providing an initial cellulose ether powder containing 0.5 to 10 weight-percent water based on total cellulose ether powder weight; (b) heating the initial cellulose ether powder to a temperature in a range of 30 to 130 degrees Celsius; (c) before, during and/or after heating in step (b), adding solid base to the cellulose ether powder and mixing with the initial cellulose ether powder to form a cellulose ether/base mixture; (d) adding volatile acid to the cellulose ether/base mixture and mixing; and (e) allowing the volatile acid to hydrolyze the initial cellulose ether to form a final cellulose ether having a lower viscosity than the initial cellulose ether.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides for improved binder compositions comprising an amine component, as well as methods for manufacturing articles and collections of matter comprising the disclosed binder compositions.

Abstract: A method for producing a cellulose ether having a high viscosity while keeping the same degree of polymerization as that in the production of a shaped pulp without changing a raw material or production facility. More specifically, provided is a method for producing a cellulose ether including steps of: cutting or pulverizing pulp to obtain sheet-like, chip-like, or powdery cellulose pulp, wherein the pulp is formed in a form of roll whose surface layer on at least one of the circumferential side and the ends is removed, or in a form of bale whose surface layer on at least one side is removed; bringing the obtained cellulose pulp into contact with an alkali metal hydroxide solution to obtain alkali cellulose; reacting the alkali cellulose with an alkylating agent to obtain a reaction product mixture; and subjecting the reaction product mixture to purification to obtain the cellulose ether.

Abstract: The present disclosure discloses a processing method for intelligent hydrogel from nano-scale starch particles, and belongs to the technical field of nutritional health food. The present disclosure uses dendritic water-soluble starch particles as a skeleton and utilizes a transglycosidation and chain extension-glycan entanglement reaction of glycosyltransferase to obtain an intelligent hydrogel having a spatial reticular structure. The product provided by the present disclosure is an intelligent starch-based hydrogel which has good rehydration capability, biocompatibility, strong gel strength, enzymatic response irreversibility, pH response reversibility, can carry multiple nutritional factors. The hydrogel provided by the present disclosure can protect and control the release of food functional factors, and can be applied to food, biological drug loading, functional materials and the like.

Abstract: Provided is a process for reducing the size of ethylcellulose polymer particles comprising (a) providing a slurry comprising (i) water (ii) said ethylcellulose particles, wherein said ethylcellulose polymer particles have D50 of 100 ?m or less; (iii) surfactant comprising 1.2% or more anionic surfactants by weight based on the solid weight of said slurry, with the proviso that if the amount of anionic surfactant is 2.5% or less by weight based on the solid weight of said slurry, then said surfactant further comprises 5% or more stabilizers by weight based on the solid weight of said slurry, wherein said stabilizer is selected from the group consisting of water-soluble polymers, water-soluble fatty alcohols, and mixtures thereof. (b) grinding said slurry in an agitated media mill having a collection of media particles having a median particle size of 550 ?m or smaller. Also provided is a dispersion made by such a process.

Abstract: Provided is a method of stably producing a water-soluble nonionic cellulose ether powder having a high bulk density at low cost by adding a minimum amount of water. More specifically provided is a method for producing a water-soluble nonionic cellulose ether powder, comprising the steps of: reacting alkali cellulose with an etherifying agent to obtain a reaction product; washing and draining the reaction product to obtain a water-soluble nonionic cellulose ether; mixing the water-soluble nonionic cellulose ether with such an amount of water of 70° C. or higher as to make a water content of the water-soluble nonionic cellulose ether become 55 to 90% by weight to obtain a water-containing water-soluble nonionic cellulose ether having a water content of 55 to 90% by weight; cooling the water-containing water-soluble nonionic cellulose ether; and drying and pulverizing the cooled water-containing water-soluble nonionic cellulose ether.

Abstract: The application of a highly controlled, micron-sized, branched, porous architecture to enhance the handling properties and degradation rate of hydrogels is described in the instant invention. A previously described pattern created through one-step nucleated crystallization in a hydrogel film creates tunable mechanical properties and/or chemical stability for use in tissue engineering applications. The bulk mechanical properties and the degradation rate of the material can be tuned easily by the addition or subtraction of crystalline structure or by the addition and subtraction of backfill material, making this useful for a variety of applications. Relevant mechanical properties that can be tuned through the application of this unique porosity are moduli, elasticity, tensile strength, and compression strength. The method of the present invention can be applied to biopolymers and natural materials as well as synthetic materials.

Abstract: A method of recovering a bead support from an emulsion includes supplying an aqueous surfactant solution into a centrifuge tube; supplying a hydrophobic liquid over the surfactant solution in the centrifuge tube, wherein a ratio of the volume of the aqueous surfactant solution to the volume of the hydrophobic liquid is not greater than 0.5; and applying an emulsion over the hydrophobic liquid while centrifuging, the emulsion comprising a dispersed aqueous phase including the bead support, the emulsion breaking and material of the dispersed phase preferentially partitioning to the surfactant solution.

Abstract: The invention includes chitosan nanofibers having enhanced structural integrity, compositions comprising such chitosan nanofibers, and related methods of use. In a particular aspect, electrospun chitosan nanofibers can be reversibly acylated to enhance structural integrity and promote healing and the formation of tissues in a subject. In another aspect, electrospun chitosan nanofibers comprising at least a portion of the amino groups protected, such as through N-tert-butoxycarbonyl groups, demonstrate enhanced structural integrity and promote healing and the formation of tissues in a subject. The invention also includes compositions and methods for producing a modified chitosan material having anti-inflammatory and pro-healing characteristics and methods of using the modified chitosan materials in a film, a gel, a membrane, microfibers, nanofibers, nano- or micro-particles/spheres and/or sponges. In some aspects, microspheres and methods of producing microspheres comprising modified chitosan are included.

Abstract: Disclosed is method for preparation of a starch phosphate using phytate. The method enables the preparation of a starch phosphate with improved physical properties such as high transparency, solubility, swelling power, and storage stability by the phosphorylation of a starch using naturally occurring phytate rather than using a synthetic chemical. Due to these advantages, the starch phosphate is expected to replace conventional chemically modified starches. In addition, the method enables the preparation of a starch phosphate based on a simple modification. The use of the starch phosphate greatly contributes to improvements in the quality and storage stability of various starchy foods. Therefore, the starch phosphate is expected to find application in the food industry, including starchy foods.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of obtaining a solid material based on a polymer having its cellobiose units exhibiting the following characteristics: at least some of the cellobiose units have at least one carboxylic acid function attached to the C6 carbon, the other C6 carbons having a primary alcohol function attached thereto; and at least some of the cellobiose units have at least one of the two rings open between the C2 and C3 carbons, the other C2 and C3 carbons forming a ring and having an alcohol function attached thereto. Such a material, advantageously a textile, may be used as a compress.