Comparison of Nanocellulose Prepared from Pomelo Peel and Wood Pulp by Enzymatic Method

The preparation of nanocellulose by enzymolysis plus ultrasonic assisted crushing has a unique green chemical advantage. In this study, the wendan pomelo peel nanocellulose (WPPNC) and wood pulp microcrystalline nanocellulose (MCNC) were prepared by cellulase and ultrasonic crushing technique. The experimental results showed that the particle size of WPPNC and MCNC decreased with the increase of enzyme concentration, and the particle size of nanocellulose after ultrasonic crushing was significantly lower than that after enzymatic hydrolysis. The particle size of MCNC was basically significantly higher than that of WPPNC under the same enzymolysis concentration. When the enzyme concentration increased from 50 to 350 U/mL, the particle size length (width) of WPPNC and MCNC are reduced from 600–700 (150–200) and 800–900 (185–220) nm to 400–500 (100–150) and 500–600 (130–180) nm, respectively. When assisted by ultrasonic, the particle size length (width) of WPPNC and MCNC can be reduced lowest to 100–150 (50–70) and 200–250 (70–90) nm. Moreover, the crystallinity of MCNC is higher than that of WPPNC. Therefore, WPPNC and MCNC can play their roles in the fields of flexibility and high strength respectively.