Repurposing Xylan Biowastes for Sustainable Household Detergents
Hairong Wang, Xupeng Li, Shuwen Zhao, Qiaoling Liu, Nan Li, Zhenhua Su, Junli Ren, Xiang Hao, Feng Peng
Abstract
Seeking sustainable and biocompatible detergent remains a big challenge. In this work, we report a new type of polysaccharide nanocrystal that is extracted from available industrial xylan biowastes via mild ammonium persulfate (APS) aqueous oxidation, which subsequently serves as a sustainable household detergent. By carefully adjusting the oxidation conditions (∼0.5 M, 60 °C), plate xylan hydrated nanocrystals (XNCs) can be accessed in reasonable yield (∼23%) with diameters of 30–50 nm and thicknesses of 5–12 nm. In comparison to the cellulose nanocrystal (CNC), the crystalline structure of XNCs demonstrates remarkable humidity-dependent behavior. Additionally, the acetylated xylan nanocrystals (AXNCs) exhibit high surface/interface activity to form stable Pickering emulsions, intriguing cleaning efficiency in removing stains from fabric surfaces, and the capability to de-wet oil from various types of tableware material. Seed germination, crop growth, and aquatic ecotoxicological evaluation demonstrate that AXNCs show no toxicity toward plants and zebrafish (median lethal concentration > 20,000 mg/L) with which they can be applied either as eco-friendly laundry or kitchen detergents. Our work presents a new avenue for converting industrial biowastes into sustainable household materials.