Nanocellulose has lately emerged as one of the most promising “green” materials due to its unique properties. Nanocellulose can be mainly divided into three types, i.e., cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs), cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs), and bacterial cellulose (BC). With the rapid development of technology, nanocellulose has been designed into multidimensional structures, including 1D (nanofibers, microparticles), 2D (films), and 3D (hydrogels, aerogels) materials. Due to its adaptable surface chemistry, high surface area, biocompatibility, and biodegradability, nanocellulose-based composite materials can be further transformed as drug delivery carriers. Herein, nanocellulose-based composite material used for drug delivery was reviewed. The typical drug release behaviors and the drug release mechanisms of nanocellulose-based composite materials were further summarized, and the potential application of nanocellulose-based composite materials was prospected as well.

A cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) based dual-modification was explored as a means to achieve better film properties. Starch was mixed with 0.5 wt% CNC followed by oxidation with NaClO, then esterified with CNC and vinyl acetate. The dual-modified starch showed an increased degree of substitution, disrupted morphology, and decreased crystallinity. A remarkable catalytic effect of CNC was found with 0.3 wt% CNC in esterification, where the degree of substitution was 2.7 times higher than that of dual-modified starch without CNC. The best modifying condition was selected as 0.3 wt% CNC and 7.0 wt% vinyl acetate. The film generated from dual-modified starch, polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH), and glycerol generated a smooth surface and compact structure. Moreover, the films based on dual-modified starch had improved transparency, thermal stability, and tensile strength compared to that of native starch or oxidized starch. The highest tensile strength of film was obtained at 25.7 MPa with 30 wt% PVOH. The film showed the highest water resistance with a contact angle of 113°.

Herein, wheat straw residue and pulping waste liquid were collected from pulping mill and mixed to prepare bio-based granular fuels by using compression molding technology, and to explore the comprehensive utilization of the industrial waste of pulping and papermaking. The effects of pulping waste liquid on granular fuel properties were analyzed systemically. Further study of the function of pulping waste liquid, cellulose and hemicellulose was used to replace wheat straw residue and avoid the interference factors. Therefore, the prediction models of granular fuels were established with influencing factors that included cellulose, hemicellulose and pulping waste liquid. The granular fuels had the best performance with 18.30% solid content of pulping waste liquid. The highest transverse compressive strength of granular fuel was 102.61 MPa, and the activation energy was 81.71 KJ·mol⁻¹. A series of curve fitting prediction models were established to clarify the forming process of granular fuel, and it turned out that the pulping waste liquid could improve the adhesion between solid particles and increase their compression resistance.