EXAME DE PROFICIÊNCIA EM LÍNGUA INGLESA – MESTRADO – DEZ/2018

INSTRUÇÕES:

1. O exame deve ser feito à caneta, de forma legível (problemas com a compreensão da caligrafia
podem prejudicar a correção).

2 - Lápis pode ser utilizado para rascunho, em folhas de rascunho avulsas.

3 - É permitido o uso de um dicionário.

4 - Os exames serão recolhidos ao final do prazo de duas horas. Não será fornecido tempo
adicional.

Text adapted from:

Nanocellulose, a Versatile Green Platform: From Biosources to Materials and Their

Applications
Bejoy Thomas, Midhun C. Raj, Athira K. B, Rubiyah M. H, Jithin Joy, Audrey Moores , Glenna
L. Drisko, and Clément Sanchez
Chem. Rev., Article ASAP
DOI:  10.1021/acs.chemrev.7b00627
Publication Date (Web): November 7, 2018

Cellulose represents the most ubiquitous structural amphiphilic renewable polymer resource in
the biosphere, with an estimated annual production of 7.5 × 1010 tons. This nearly unlimited
supply of sustainable polysaccharide possesses remarkable physical and chemical properties,
allowing its use in a wide range of materials and products including fine chemicals. The
extensive use of cellulosic fibers as textile dates back many thousands of years. Industrially,
cellulose has been used as raw material in products such as paper, cellophane films, explosives,
textiles, and dietary fibers. Lignocellulosic matter is the basic building block of plant matter and
trees and has been traditionally used as combustible and in construction. In addition to these
humble yet indispensable applications, cellulose is being used for much more sophisticated
applications in modern times. These applications are based on the fact that when cellulose fibers
are subjected to mechanical shear or controlled acid hydrolysis, elongated fibrillar rod-like
crystalline particles featuring nanosized width and lengths ranging from 50 nm to micrometers
are produced. Nanocellulose, which is either isolated from plant matter or biochemically
produced in a lab, holds many of the desirable properties for which cellulose is known, including
low density, nontoxicity, and high biodegradability. Additionally, it holds unique properties,
such as high mechanical strength, reinforcing capabilities, and tunable self-assembly in aqueous
media, a consequence of its unique shape, size, surface chemistry, and high degree of
crystallinity. Nanotechnology involving these cellulosic substrates has attracted tremendous
attention during the past few decades. Chemical, biochemical, and mechanical methods provide
ways to modify nanocellulose, yielding enhanced properties such as flame retardancy,
transparency, and high flexibility, thus greatly expanding traditional applications of wood.

The 21st century marks an explosion in the demand for materials, energy, food, and water,
driven by a growing world population and rapidly developing technologies. Society could aim to
rely more heavily on renewable resources, such as biomass, to produce the desired materials.
Sustainable development requires products to be made from renewable sources that are
environmentally friendly, are not based on petroleum, present low health and safety risks, and
are economically affordable. Nanocellulose has a Young’s modulus in the range of 20–50 GPa
and a surface area of several hundreds of square meters per gram, which means that many new
promising properties and applications can result. Scientists have responded with a concerted
international effort to produce innovative materials for novel and emerging applications from
nanocellulose, which originates from renewable and abundant biomass. Biomass can be
considered as a valuable commodity, a source for biofuels and chemicals, providing an excellent
alternative to petroleum. Nanocellulose is used to produce a variety of high-value products with
low environmental and societal impact. Nanocellulose can now be produced industrially at the
tons per day scale.

This comprehensive review presents nanocellulose-based research over the past 100 years, with
an emphasis on recent research. Many other specialized reviews and highlights have been
published on this topic, showcasing the breadth of the field. The scope of this current
contribution covers nanocellulose sourcing and isolation methods, surface modification,
incorporation into composites and hybrid materials, and the applications of nanocellulosic
materials. The term “nanocellulose” encompasses a number of cellulose-based materials, where
chemical and physical properties vary typically as a function of their source and extraction
method: cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs), nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC), and rigid bacterial
nanocellulose (BNC).