Chapter 10: Applications of Nanocellulose in the Paper Industry

Nanocellulose, due to its sustainability, biodegradability, and high performance such as high tensile stiffness and low thermal expansion coefficient, can potentially replace the fossil fuel-based materials for different applications. Among them, paper and the board industry is the most promising field because of the massive product tonnage of paper. It can be used both as a dry and wet-end in the paper industry such as papermaking, paper coating, packaging, and for the production of hygienic and absorbent products. In this chapter, the first part of the chapter discusses the recent progress in the applications of nanocellulose as a dry- and wet-strength agent. The second part describes the use of nanocellulose in coating and barrier packaging. It needs to provide prospects of nanocellulose by reducing its production cost and post-processing, and explore novel application for paper-based products.