Linnéa Andersson

Lightweight and strong cellulose materials made from aqueous foams stabilized by nanofibrillated cellulose.

A lightweight and strong porous cellulose material has been prepared by drying aqueous foams stabilized with surface-modified nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC). This material differs from other dry, particle stabilized foams in that renewable cellulose is used as stabilizing particles. Confocal microscopy and high speed video imaging show that the octylamine-coated, rod-shaped NFC nanoparticles residing at the air-liquid interface prevent the air bubbles from collapsing or coalescing. Stable wet foams can be achieved at solids content around 1% by weight. Careful removal of the water results in a cellulose-based material with a porosity of 98% and a density of 30 mg cm(-3). These porous cellulose materials have a higher Youngs modulus than porous cellulose materials made from freeze-drying, at comparable densities, and have a compressive energy absorption of 56 kJ m(-3) at 80% strain. Measurement with the aid of an autoporosimeter revealed that most pores are in the range of 300 to 500 μm.

Enhancing residual trapping of supercritical CO2 via cyclic injections

We utilize synchrotron x-ray tomographic imaging to investigate the pore-scale characteristics and residual trapping of supercritical CO2 (scCO2) over the course of multiple drainage-imbibition (D-I) cycles in Bentheimer sandstone cores. Capillary pressure measurements are paired with x-ray image derived saturation and connectivity metrics which describe the extent of drainage and subsequent residual (end of imbibition) scCO2 trapping. For the first D-I cycle, residual scCO2 trapping is suppressed due to high imbibition capillary number (Ca ≈ 10-6); however, residual scCO2 trapping dramatically increases for subsequent D-I cycles carried out at the same Ca value. This behavior is not predicted by conventional multiphase trapping theory. The magnitude of scCO2 trapping increase is hysteretic and depends on the relative extent of the sequential drainage processes. The hysteretic pore-scale behavior of the scCO2-brine-sandstone system observed in this study suggests that cyclic multiphase flow could potentially be used to increase scCO2 trapping for sequestration applications.

On the role of tannins and iron in the Bogolan or mud cloth dyeing process

We have investigated the chemistry of the Bogolan or mud cloth dyeing process, a traditional technique of coloring cotton cloths deeply rooted in Mali. Textiles produced by the traditional Bogolan process, using tannin-rich plant extract and iron-rich clay-based mud, were compared using infrared (IR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopy (XANES) with cotton fibers that were impregnated with tannin and iron salt solutions. IR spectroscopy in both reflective mode on the cloth and cotton and in transmission mode on single fibers, together with SEM, showed that gallic and tannic acid adsorb and precipitate onto the cotton fiber surface. IR spectroscopy and comparison with tannin and iron solution-impregnated cotton showed that the black color of the traditional Bogolan cloth is dominated by the formation of iron-tannin complexes. The presence of iron in the Bogolan cloth was confirmed using XANES data, supporting the notion that iron has been transferred from the iron-rich clay-based mud to the cloth. The chemistry of Bogolan cloth is not only historically and culturally significant and of importance in textile conservation, but may also inspire future research on sustainable dyeing and processing techniques based on natural products.

Colloidal processing and CO2-capture performance of hierarchically porous Al2O3-zeolite 13X composites

Hierarchically porous composites for CO2-capture have been produced by coating the inner walls of foam-like macroporous alumina monoliths, produced by templated synthesis, with microporous zeolite ...