Nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC)/poly (lactic acid) (PLLA) composite membranes were prepared by the solution casting method. Physical and chemical modifications were performed to improve the compatibility of NCC and PLLA. The results indicated that the NCC dispersibility of the composite membranes with chemical modification were superior to that of the composite membranes with physical modification. Moreover, the chemical modification NCC not only had a large effect on the nucleation and growth of the crystals, but also affected the crystal forms of PLLA. This was because chemical reactions took place between the silicone of silane coupling agent (KH-570) and the hydroxyl groups of NCC during blending. The chemical modification NCC could be dispersed stably in the PLLA matrix, and it played the role of a nucleating agent.

Agricultural residues are important renewable biomass resources that have not received much research attention. Ginger stalk is a major agricultural waste in China.The extraction of cellulose from ginger stalk would convert this waste into a high value-added product and, simultaneously, contribute to environmental protection. This research studied the characteristics of cellulose extracted from ginger stalk by two different treatments: (ⅰ) potassium hydroxide (KOH) treatment and (ⅱ) nitric acid-ethanol (NAE) treatment. The optimal condition for the KOH treatment was obtained, it was at 1∶30 solidto-liquid ratio (SLR) for 5 h extraction time with 14 wt% KOH. The optimal condition for the NAE treatment was as follows: 1∶40 SLR, 4 h extraction time, and a reaction temperature of 90℃. However, the cellulose obtained by NAE treatment was severely degraded than that by KOH treatment. The Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy analyses revealed that both treatments successfully dissolved the lignin and hemicellulose. Two treatments showed a higher cellulose yield, and the extracted cellulose had more crystal structure.

The effects of adding pulping black liquor and other additives to coal-water slurry (CWS) on the sulfur-fixing performance of the resultant mixture (pulping black liquor coal-water slurry) were evaluated. The experimental results demonstrated that the ash content of the black liquor coalwater slurry decreased as the addition of pulping black liquor in the mixture increased. Nevertheless, the addition amount should be appropriately selected to ensure that the black liquor coal-water slurry had a moderate calorific value. Addition of black liquor improved the combustion performance of CWS by lowering the ignition point and stabilizing the combustion process; moreover, the sulfur-fixation ratio after combustion increased by 12 to 16 percentage points than that of CWS, and the content of high-melting-point salt in the ash from CWS after adding black liquor was low. The sulfur-fixing ratio of CWS after adding a sulfur-fixing agent was effectively increased by 25 to 30 percenatge points, but with compromise of the fluidity and stability of the CWS; thus, the addition amount of a sulfur-fixing agent should be optimized.