polymers Review Insights on Cellulose Research in the Last Two Decades in Romania Sergiu Coseri “Petru Poni” Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry of Romanian Academy, 41 A, Gr. Ghica Voda Alley, 700487 Iasi, Romania; [email protected]; Tel.: +40-232-217454; Fax: +40-232-211299 Abstract: In the current global context, cellulose fulfills those characteristics that give it clear advan- tages over synthetic fibers, having a huge potential for substituting fossil-based materials which are polluting and harmful to ecosystems. Research conducted in most laboratories around the world in the field of cellulose is overwhelmingly aimed at industrial needs because features such as renewability and low cost are the most important attributes for economic success. In this global effort, Romanian researchers contribute through achievements that are briefly reviewed in this paper. These refer to the main achievements reported after 2000 in the field of cellulose characterization and cellulose functionalization, as well as the main areas where cellulose-based materials were applied. Keywords: cellulose; Romania; cellulose oxidation; cellulose-based; materials 1. Introduction The preoccupation with the processing, obtaining and study of cellulose in Romania has very old roots, which take us to the 16th–17th centuries when the main sources for obtaining paper were represented by cotton, linen and hemp. A much more rigorous and Citation: Coseri, S. Insights on precise systematization of what represents the pulp and paper processing industry can be Cellulose Research in the Last Two found only at the end of the 19th century, when the technology based on wood resources Decades in Romania. Polymers 2021, was adopted for the production of pulp and paper on the Romanian territory, operating at 13, 689. https://doi.org/10.3390/ that time in around 15 modern factories. However, the modern era of cellulose processing polym13050689 and research begins only in 1949 at the Polytechnic Institute in Iasi, when the Faculty of Academic Editor: Andrea Maio Industrial Chemistry in Iasi was reorganized, and the pulp and paper department was created for the first time in Romania within the organic chemistry section. In 1955, the Received: 4 February 2021 pulp and paper department expanded its profile to become a pulp, paper and man-made Accepted: 22 February 2021 fiber technology. Subsequently, through the significant contributions of the founders of Published: 25 February 2021 this school and their descendants, a valuable school was created, recognized internally and internationally [1]. A significant role in the creation, organization, development and Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral worldwide affirmation of the Romanian school of pulp and paper was played by Cristofor with regard to jurisdictional claims in Simionescu, an illustrious professor and researcher. Several handbooks regarding the published maps and institutional affil- chemistry and structure of some wood species or seaweed in Romania appeared in those iations. years, being translated into several foreign languages [2–5]. The special interest shown by Romanian researchers for research in the field of cel- lulose can be exemplified by publishing: since 1966, a journal dedicated entirely to this research topic, “Cellulose Chemistry and Technology”, ISI indexed from 1992 until 2019. Copyright: © 2021 by the author. In an attempt to have as complete an image as possible related to the study of cellulose Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. conducted by Romanian researchers, we used the Scopus database, conducting a search This article is an open access article using two fields: one related to the word “cellulose” in a search field type (article title, distributed under the terms and abstract, keywords), and the second search field being related to the affiliation country, conditions of the Creative Commons using “Romania”. As Figure1a shows, following this search, a total of 1164 documents Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// were retrieved, including scientific and conference papers, reviews, book chapters and creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ books. It seems surprising that the scientific production in the field of cellulose research is 4.0/). Polymers 2021, 13, 689. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13050689 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/polymers Polymers 2021, 13, 689 2 of 19 Polymers 2021, 13, 689 2 of 18 were retrieved, including scientific and conference papers, reviews, book chapters and books. It seems surprising that the scientific production in the field of cellulose research isquite quite modest modest for for a long a long time: time: from from 1965 1965 to 1990, to 1990, only only one orone two or documentstwo documents per year per wereyear werefound found to be to indexed be indexed by the by Scopus the Scopus database, database, Elsevier, Elsevier, Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.The Netherlands. Figure 1. The number of documents versus year published by Romanian researchers ( a)) and researchers from different Central and Eastern European countries (b), according toto thethe ScopusScopus databasedatabase usingusing thethe keywordkeyword “cellulose”.“cellulose”. IntriguedIntrigued by by these these observations, observations, we we tried tried to to see see what what the the results results of a similar search were, replacing “Romania” with other other countries countries in in the the region, region, such such as as Bulgaria, Bulgaria, Hungary, Hungary, Poland,Poland, Slovakia oror thethe Czech Czech Republic. Republic. The The author author noticed noticed somewhat somewhat the samethe same trend trend with witha relatively a relatively modest modest number number of publications of publications in the period in the mentioned period mentioned above (1965–1990). above (1965– The 1990).extremely The reducedextremely number reduced of number scientific of publications scientific publications in the field in of the cellulose field of in cellulose all Central in alland Central Eastern and European Eastern European countries countries can be explained can be explained by the lowby the interest low interest in fundamental in funda- mentalresearch research during during the communist the communist years, societyyears, society being focused being focused rather onrather specific on specific industries in- dustriesand research and research being based being more based on contractsmore on contracts with industry, with whichindustry, were which not completed were not com- with pletedscientific with publications. scientific publications. SomewhatSomewhat paradoxically, withwith thethe fallfall ofofcommunism communism and and the the beginning beginning of of the the drastic dras- ticdeindustrialization deindustrialization that that affected affected the the pulp pulp and and paper paper industry industry after after 1990 1990 (see (see Figure Figure1b), 1b), a aboost boost can can be be seen seen in in the the number number of of published published documentsdocuments relatedrelated toto cellulose.cellulose. A steady increaseincrease cancan bebe observedobserved in in the the number number of of scientific scientific papers papers published published each each year year in the in field the fieldof cellulose, of cellulose, with awith maximum a maximum of 105 of published 105 published papers papers reached reached in 2020 in in 2020 Romania. in Romania. Poland Polandholds the holds supremacy the supremacy in terms in of terms the number of the ofnumber published of published documents documents since 1990; since Romania 1990; Romaniabeing in thebeing second in the position second in position tandem in with tandem the Czech with the Republic. Czech ThisRepublic. growing This interest growing in interestthe basic in research the basic directed research toward directed cellulose toward can cellulose be explained can be dueexplained to the due alignment to the align- of the mentmentioned of the countriesmentioned toward countries modern toward research modern topics, research as in Westerntopics, as Europe in Western and the Europe USA, andbased the on USA, translating based on researchers’ translating interest researchers’ into searching interest into for alternativesearching for energy alternative resources en- ergywhich resources are renewable, which are abundant renewable, and abundant cheaper, butand also cheaper, by awareness but also by of awareness the finite nature of the finiteof oil, nature combined of oil, with combined the big with issues the of big pollution issues of and pollution contamination and contamination which traditional which traditionalresources cause.resources Thus, cause. by increasing Thus, by increasing the financial the resources financial allocatedresources byallocated the European by the Union to projects aimed at this field, the interest of researchers has also greatly increased, European Union to projects aimed at this field, the interest of researchers has also greatly leading to a high scientific production. increased, leading to a high scientific production. Figure2 presents the classification of scientific papers published by Romanian au- Figure 2 presents the classification of scientific papers published by Romanian au- thors in the period 1965–2020 according to the field of research. “Materials science” and thors in the period 1965–2020 according to the field of research. “Materials science” and “chemistry” dominate the interest of researchers, which is understandable given the many “chemistry” dominate the interest of researchers, which is understandable given the many challenges posed