Carboxylation biodegradation mechanisms

Cellulosic substances have been used in various fields from commodities to industrial materials after mechanical and chemical modifications. Especially because chemically modified cellulosics have some unique functional properties, and also because of their biodegradability in most instances, the chemistry of cellulose has become one of the major areas in cellulose science. Figure 12 illustrates the chemical structure of cellulose in terms of chemical modifications. "" Three hydroxyl groups in the glucose residue, one primary and the other two secondary, are the sites for substitution reactions, which are the most common in cellulose derivatizations. The (1 4)-/3-glycoside bonds and other functional groups such as carboxyls and aldehydes present in most cellulosic material as minor groups are also possible sites for chemical modifications. 

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