Naturally Hydrophobic Foams from Lignocellulosic Fibers Prepared by Oven-Drying

Lignocellulosic sugarcane biomass underwent an alkaline treatment for partial lignin extraction and then foams with very low apparent density (0.09 g/cm3) were easily obtained by oven-drying aqueous dispersions of fibers. The fiber networks were covalently reinforced through cross-linking by heating the dried material in the presence of citric acid. The lignocellulosic foams were naturally hydrophobic (water contact angle = 117°), without …