Life cycle assessment (LCA) of nanocellulose composite panels (NCPs) manufactured using freeze-drying technique

The life cycle assessment (LCA) is a powerful technique to investigate the environmental impacts of current and new products and production processes. In this research, the LCA of nanocellulose composite panels (NCPs) produced using freeze-drying techniques were studied. The environmental effects of the final product and the production method were reported. The nanocellulose is a bio-based raw material that can be obtained from a variety of natural sources and used in building, construction, packaging, pharmaceutical, and insulation industry. The wood-based cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) produced using mechanical grinding, and the industrial corn-starch (Ethylex 2025) were used as raw materials in this study. The n-Dodecenyl Succinic Anhydride (DDSA) and boric acid (BA - ((B(OH)3) - 99.94 % pure) were used as treatment materials. As a result of this explanatory research, the cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) produced using mechanical process were found environmentally friendly as expected. The production process, freeze-drying technique, was not found eco-friendly in laboratory scale. However, using solar energy in full-scale production can decrease the energy consumption up to 76% and would make the process eco-friendlier. The nanocellulose composite panels (NCPs) can be produced using the freeze-drying technique. The findings of this study showed that freeze-drying technique would be feasible and nature-friendly in full-scale production using renewable energy sources