Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Nanocellulose Bio-Based Composites for Food Packaging

This review explores the use of nanocellulose-based bio-composites as sustainable alternatives to synthetic plastic packaging in the food industry. Researchers found that nanocellulose materials offer improved mechanical strength, barrier properties, and biodegradability compared to conventional plastics. The study highlights how these plant-derived materials could help reduce plastic packaging waste while maintaining food quality and safety standards.

2020 Nanomaterials 194 citations
Article Tier 2

Recent Advances in Cellulose Nanofiber Modification and Characterization and Cellulose Nanofiber-Based Films for Eco-Friendly Active Food Packaging

This review covers advances in cellulose nanofibers, a plant-based material being developed as an eco-friendly alternative to plastic food packaging. These nanofibers are biodegradable, can be extracted from agricultural waste, and can be enhanced with antimicrobial or barrier properties. Replacing conventional plastic packaging with bio-based films like these could help reduce the microplastic contamination that enters the food supply.

2024 Foods 40 citations
Article Tier 2

Renewable cellulosic nanocomposites for food packaging to avoid fossil fuel plastic pollution: a review

Researchers reviewed how cellulose nanoparticles extracted from plant biomass can replace petroleum-based plastics in food packaging, finding that adding just 1–5% cellulose nanoparticles significantly improves strength, reduces oxygen and water vapor permeability, and keeps packaging biodegradable. The review positions cellulose nanocomposites as a scalable, eco-friendly alternative to fossil-fuel plastics that contribute to microplastic pollution.

2020 Environmental Chemistry Letters 222 citations
Article Tier 2

Cellulose Nanopaper: A Study of Composition and Surface Modifications to Develop Sustainably-Sourced Alternatives to Plastics

This study developed cellulose nanopaper — derived from wood pulp — with surface modifications to improve its properties as a sustainable alternative to petroleum-based plastic packaging films. The research addresses the need for biodegradable packaging materials that reduce the plastic waste that becomes microplastic contamination.

2017 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Nanocelluloses review: Preparation, biological properties, safety, and applications in the food field

This review examined nanocelluloses — including cellulose nanofibrils, nanocrystals, and bacterial cellulose — as sustainable food ingredients and packaging materials, highlighting their use as edible coatings, emulsion stabilizers, fat substitutes, and prebiotics while noting that safety assessments and regulatory frameworks still require development.

2023 Food Frontiers 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Nanocellulose Coating on Kraft Paper

This paper is not directly about microplastics — it evaluates nanofibrillated cellulose coatings on kraft paper as a biodegradable alternative to plastic-based food packaging coatings, finding improvements in barrier properties, density, and mechanical strength.

2023 Coatings 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Bacterial Nanocellulose toward Green Cosmetics: Recent Progresses and Challenges

This review summarizes recent advances in the use of bacterial nanocellulose as a sustainable ingredient in cosmetic formulations, highlighting its potential to replace synthetic microplastic-containing polymers used as film formers, fillers, and carrier materials in skin care products.

2021 International Journal of Molecular Sciences 96 citations
Article Tier 2

Biotechnology in Food Packaging Using Bacterial Cellulose

This review explores bacterial cellulose as a biodegradable, biocompatible alternative to conventional plastic food packaging, which contributes to micro- and nanoplastic pollution that threatens both the environment and human health. While bacterial cellulose shows strong potential due to its mechanical strength and food preservation abilities, scaling up production remains a challenge due to higher costs and manufacturing difficulties.

2024 Foods 25 citations
Article Tier 2

Free standing nanocellulose films – fabrication methods, surface engineering and recyclability

This review examines fabrication methods, surface engineering approaches, and recyclability of free-standing nanocellulose films, highlighting their potential as sustainable alternatives to synthetic plastic films across various applications.

2025 Asian Engineering Review
Article Tier 2

Surface and Interface Engineering for Nanocellulosic Advanced Materials

This review examines how nanocellulose — nanoscale fibrils derived from plant cell walls — can be engineered for surface and interface properties to create strong, sustainable materials as alternatives to petroleum-based plastics.

2020 Advanced Materials 469 citations
Article Tier 2

Nanocellulose for Wastewater Treatment

This review examines the potential of nanocellulose, a material derived from plant fibers, as an eco-friendly solution for removing contaminants from polluted water. Researchers found that nanocellulose's large surface area and ability to be chemically modified make it effective at capturing heavy metals, dyes, and other pollutants. The study suggests this renewable material could serve as a sustainable alternative to conventional water treatment methods.

2025 IntechOpen eBooks 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Application of Nanotechnology in Sustainable Food Packaging

This review examines nanotechnology applications in sustainable food packaging, covering how nano-enhanced biodegradable biopolymers improve barrier properties and food safety while addressing plastic pollution and reducing reliance on conventional single-use plastics.

2024 Advances in environmental engineering and green technologies book series 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Recent Advances in Chemically Modified Cellulose and Its Derivatives for Food Packaging Applications: A Review

This review examined recent advances in chemically modified cellulose and its derivatives for food packaging applications, highlighting how cellulose-based biodegradable materials can replace petroleum-based plastics while discussing challenges in moisture barrier and mechanical properties.

2022 Polymers 95 citations
Article Tier 2

Lignocellulose-Based Materials for Food Packaging: A Biorefinery Perspective

Not directly relevant to microplastics — this review focuses on lignocellulose-based (paper and cardboard) materials as sustainable alternatives for food packaging, mentioning microplastics only briefly as a motivation for reducing conventional plastic use.

2023 Materials research foundations
Article Tier 2

Comprehensive overview of sustainable food packaging material alternatives

This review provides a comprehensive overview of alternative packaging materials being developed to replace conventional plastics, including biodegradable plastics, cellulose, bamboo, edible packaging, and nano-cellulose. Researchers found that recycling plastics and producing bioplastics have not yet proven to be fully effective solutions, and the environmental impact of many alternatives remains unclear. The study notes that while no single alternative can fully replace plastic packaging, emerging materials show promise for reducing environmental impact and waste.

2025 Cognitive Sustainability 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Advances in Cellulose-Based Packaging Films for Food Products

This review covers recent advances in cellulose-based packaging films as sustainable alternatives to petroleum-based plastics, examining how different cellulose structures and derivatives enable versatile film properties for food packaging applications.

2023 IntechOpen eBooks 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Potential of Nanocellulose for Microplastic removal: Perspective and challenges

Researchers reviewed how nanocellulose — tiny fibers derived from plant cell walls — can capture and remove microplastics from water through its large surface area and adaptable chemistry, positioning it as a promising, naturally biodegradable filter material. While early results are encouraging, further research is needed to optimize how nanocellulose works at scale in real drinking water and wastewater treatment systems.

2024 Tetrahedron Green Chem 19 citations
Article Tier 2

Applications of regenerated bacterial cellulose: a review

This review examines bacterial cellulose as a sustainable alternative to synthetic polymers that contribute to microplastic pollution. Bacterial cellulose is biodegradable, renewable, and has strong mechanical properties, making it suitable for packaging, textiles, and biomedical applications. The study highlights recent advances in processing techniques that could make bacterial cellulose more commercially viable as a replacement for plastics in everyday products.

2024 Cellulose 27 citations
Article Tier 2

Nanocellulose-based membrane as a potential material for high performance biodegradable aerosol respirators for SARS-CoV-2 prevention: a review

Researchers reviewed nanocellulose-based membrane materials as biodegradable alternatives to synthetic face mask filters, finding that cellulose nanofibers and nanocrystals offer promising filtration efficiency, biocompatibility, and environmental safety compared to single-use plastic-based respirators.

2022 Cellulose 29 citations
Article Tier 2

Bio-Based Materials for Packaging

This review evaluates bio-based materials as sustainable alternatives for plastic packaging, examining the environmental performance, mechanical properties, and commercial viability of biopolymers in addressing the global plastic pollution crisis.

2022 International Journal of Molecular Sciences 30 citations
Article Tier 2

A multifunctional biogenic films and coatings from synergistic aqueous dispersion of wood-derived suberin and cellulose nanofibers

Researchers developed multifunctional bio-based packaging films and coatings using suberin, an industrial byproduct, stabilized with amphiphilic cellulose nanofibers. The resulting materials demonstrated UV shielding and antimicrobial properties while serving as effective food packaging. The study presents a sustainable alternative to conventional plastic packaging that could help reduce microplastic pollution from packaging degradation.

2024 Carbohydrate Polymers 17 citations
Article Tier 2

Nanoarchitectonics of Sustainable Food Packaging: Materials, Methods, and Environmental Factors.

This review examines the nanoarchitectonics of sustainable food packaging, covering how nanoscale structural and functional design of materials including biopolymers and nanocomposites affects packaging performance, barrier properties, and environmental impact.

2025 Materials (Basel, Switzerland)
Article Tier 2

Enhancing Packaging Sustainability with Natural Fiber Reinforced Biocomposites: An outlook into the future

This review examines natural fiber-reinforced biocomposites — made from agricultural waste and plant fibers — as sustainable alternatives to petroleum-based packaging materials, discussing manufacturing techniques, recent advances, and remaining challenges for wider adoption across food and consumer goods packaging.

2023 E3S Web of Conferences 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Cellulose-Based Materials as a Sustainable Alternative to Plastics: Mitigating Environmental Pollution Through Biodegradability and Reduced Toxicity

This research review shows that materials made from cellulose (the stuff in plant cell walls) could replace regular plastics and help protect human health. Unlike regular plastics that break down into tiny harmful pieces called microplastics that get into our food and water, cellulose materials naturally break down into safe, non-toxic compounds. Making the switch could reduce the plastic pollution that's contaminating our environment and potentially harming our health.

2026 Nature Environment and Pollution Technology