RT info:eu-repo/semantics/article T1 Upcycling of carrot waste into pectin-arabinogalactan and lignin-cellulose films via hydrothermal treatment, ultrafiltration/diafiltration, and casting A1 Ramos Andrés, Marta A1 Hu, Liqiu A1 Grénman, Henrik A1 Xu, Chunlin A1 García Serna, Juan K1 Food-packaging K1 Hemicellulose K1 Homogalacturonan K1 CNFs K1 Purification K1 Biorefinery AB Discarded carrots were repurposed to produced bio-based films through a pilot-scale hydrothermal treatment of the pulp. The process, conducted at 140 °C and 180 °C using single and multiple flow-through reactors, successfully extracted high molecular weight pectin-containing arabinogalactan (P-AG). Separation and purification through ultrafiltration and diafiltration yielded fractions with molecular weights ranging from 3.48 to 102.75 kDa. The solid residue from the hydrothermal process was subjected to mechanical treatments to obtain lignin-containing cellulose nanofibers (L-CNFs). Comparative analysis showed the P-AG film possessed superior oxygen barrier properties (67.73 vs. 239.83 cm3·µm/m2/kPa/day), while the L-CNFs film displayed higher tensile strength (7.74 vs. 3.14 MPa). Combining both fractions revealed that L-CNFs could be incorporated at percentages exceeding 15% (w/w) without compromising the P-AG-based film’s integrity, resulting in a 57.5% increase in water contact angle (125.8°). In examining P-AG samples, a higher molecular weight reduced oxygen permeability by 14.6% (41.14 cm3·µm/m2/kPa/day) but increased the water vapor permeability by 11.4% (2.78·10−10 g·m/m2/s/Pa). Tensile strength showed a 150.9% increase at lower molecular weights and higher pectin content (2.84 MPa), attributed to arabinogalactan’s pronounced branching. Elongation increased by 157.9% at higher arabinogalactan content (15.28%). This study achieved a groundbreaking milestone by obtaining purified fractions of P-AG and L-CNFs from carrot waste, demonstrating promising film properties suitable for food packaging applications. PB Elsevier SN 2213-3437 YR 2024 FD 2024 LK https://uvadoc.uva.es/handle/10324/72949 UL https://uvadoc.uva.es/handle/10324/72949 LA eng NO Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering,vol. 12, n. 3, 112645 NO Producción Científica DS UVaDOC RD 23-dic-2024