Against the backdrop of global advocacy of sustainable development, biodegradable materials are becoming an important direction for materials scientific research and industrial applications. Bacterial Cellulose ( BC ) , a natural nanocellulose synthesized by microorganisms, has shown strong development potential in many high-value-added industries due to its unique physical properties and biocompatibility.

What is bacterial cellulose？

Bacterial cellulose refers to the high-purity nano-scale fiber network structure produced by certain acetic acid bacteria (such as Komagataeibacter xylinus ) in a suitable culture environment, and the structure of the high purity and crystallinity of the plant is different from that of cellulose from plant origin. Bacterial cellulose naturally does not contain impurities such as lignin and hemicellulose, and has extremely high purity and crystallinity.

The production process is usually carried out through a liquid fermentation system, does not rely on crop resources, and has lower environmental loads.

Key Performance Advantages of Dibacterial Cellulose

Performance dimension	Advantage description
Pure structure	Free of lignin, hemicellulose and other impurities, natural and clean, conducive to medical and food applications
Nanofiber Network	The fiber diameter is usually between 20-100nm, with a large surface area, and has good mechanical and adsorption properties.
High mechanical strength	High tensile strength and good ductility, and can be used in biostent conductive film composite materials
Highly absorbent	Can absorb more than 200 times its own moisture, suitable for trauma dressing moisturizing materials
Excellent biocompatibility	It does not cause rejection reactions and can naturally fusion with human tissues
Strong degradability	Can be decomposed in the natural environment or in the human body, in line with the development trend of green materials

In addition, bacterial cellulose can show different softness and shapes in dry and wet forms, which is more adaptable and suitable for diversified processing

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Preparation and industrialization process of three bacterial cellulose

Strain selection : High-yield strains represented by Komagataeibacter are the most commonly used

Culture medium configuration : usually use glucose, glycerol, alcohol by-products, etc. as carbon source

Fermentation method : Static fermentation can form film-like cellulose, while dynamic fermentation will produce higher yields

Post-treatment process : Neutralize sterilization and rinsing to obtain sterile pure BC products

At present, some domestic and foreign companies have developed industrial production plans with low-value raw materials such as corn syrup sugarcane bagasse kitchen waste as substrates, which significantly reduces costs

Typical application fields of four bacterial cellulose

1. Medical and health field (high value-added applications)

Artificial skin and wound dressings : maintain a moist environment and promote healing, suitable for wounds after burn surgery

Drug controlled release system : as a carrier to wrap drugs to achieve sustained release effect

Soft tissue repair scaffold : used for tissue engineering, replacement of natural collagen

2. Food Industry

Edible colloids (such as coconuts) : chewy, as dietary fiber supplement

Functional food packaging film : replaces plastic packaging, with good barrier properties and edible properties

3. Cosmetics and Daily Chemical Industry

Mask base material : replace non-woven fabric, strong skin-friendly and high adsorption capacity

Moisturizing gel and skin repair patch : applied to high-end products such as sensitive postoperative care

4. Environmental and functional materials

Flexible electronic material substrate : combined with nano-silver conductive polymers for wearable devices

Water treatment membrane material : loadable functional particles for removal of contaminants

Five industries prospects and development trends

With the advancement of ' dual carbon ' goals and green manufacturing policies, the bacterial cellulose industry is gradually moving from laboratories to large-scale applications. The key directions in the future include:

Fermentation efficiency optimization : develop high-yield strains and shorten the culture cycle

High value-added product development : such as medical dressings, skin care products, nanocomposite materials

Composite with other biomaterials : such as gelatin chitosan graphene, etc., to achieve new performance expansion

Environmental protection industry support : accelerated implementation of green packaging biofilter membrane

According to market research institutions, by 2030year, the global bacterial cellulose market size will exceed 10US$100 million, and the Asia-Pacific region will become the main growth region

Six conclusions: Bacterial cellulose , the bridge connecting nature and the future

With its green source, excellent performance and broad adaptability, bacterial cellulose is building a new era of environmentally friendly, efficient and sustainable materials. Whether it is the future medical technology or the healthy consumption of daily life, BC is expected to become one of the core materials.