Fabrication and Characterization of Lignocellulose-Based Porous Materials via Chemical Crosslinking

This study presents a simple method for producing chemically crosslinked porous materials from lignocellulosic fibers with different particle sizes and lignin contents. Porous materials were prepared from organosolv pulp (OP), kneaded organosolv pulp (KOP), lignin-rich microfibrillated cellulose (LMFC), and enzyme cellulose nanofiber (ECNF) and were crosslinked using epichlorohydrin, glutaraldehyde, and glycerol diglycidyl ether (GDE). Among the crosslinkers, GDE provided the best dimensional stability and elastic recovery after repeated compression–recovery cycles in water. Notably, KOP-based porous materials outperformed those derived from LMFC and ECNF, despite being produced via a simple kneading process without energy-intensive fibrillation. KOP-derived materials exhibited excellent dimensional stability and high water absorption exceeding 5890%, demonstrating strong potential for bio-based absorbent applications such as hygiene and packaging.