Cellulose recycling as a source of raw chirality

CORNE, V.; BOTTA, M. C.; GIORDANO, E. D.; GIRI, G. F.; LLOMPART, D. F.; BIAVA, H. D.; SAROTTI, A. M.; MATA, E. G. ; SUÁREZ, A. G.; SPANEVELLO, R. A.

Foz do Iguaçu

Conferencia; 4th International IUPAC Conference on Green Chemistry; 2012

IUPAC

Cellulose is the most widely spread biopolymer on earth. Its main source of production is from wood and it has been used since ancient times. Nowadays, paper manufacturing is its major industrial demand. The annual paper production in weight is equivalent to three times the car industry production measured in the same way. Due to this production volumen, it is easy to foresee the great amount of waste paper that is accumulated as result of human activity. Paper can be recycled, but only for a limited number of turns over, and for this reason it is important to find other uses to any cellulosic material. On the other hand, cellulose is a polymer based on celobiose as monomer and this disaccharide is formed by two enantiomerically pure units of glucose which in terms could be a great source of chirality if appropriately treated.