Nanocrystals of cellulose allomorphs have different adsorption of cellulase and subsequent degradation

Self-bonded natural fiber material (SNFM) is a promising alternative for plastic and wood owing to its abundant raw material resources and low environmental impact. In this study, a high-performance SNFM was developed by the comprehensive treatments for the plasticity and structure of fiber cell walls. The cell wall structure was treated by a progressive chemical etching process for selectively removing surface lignin, internal lignin and hemicelluloses, respectively. The cell wall plasticity was tuned by controlling the fiber moisture content during compression molding process. The results showed that the increase in fiber plasticity improved the tensile strength from 38.0 to 83.5 MPa and the flexural strength from 31.2 to 73.3 MPa. The selective removal of surface lignin increased the flexural strength from 101.3 to 122.1 MPa.