A method for preparing hydrophobic, dry, surface-modified fibrillated
cellulose to improve its dispersibility in a
hydrophobic matrix comprises the steps of: a.) providing a suspension of microfibrillated
cellulose from 5 to 30 wt%, preferably from about 7 to 11 wt%, in water; b.) adding a surfactant to the suspension in a
mass ratio of surfactant to microfibrillated
cellulose suspension of 0.1 to 2.0 wt%, preferably 0.5 to 1.0 wt%, more preferably about 0.8 wt%; c.) adding a surface modifier to the suspension in a
mass ratio of surface modifier to microfibrillated cellulose
dry matter of 20 to 300 wt%, preferably 80 to 120 wt%, more preferably about 100 wt%, where the surface modifier is obtained by a
chemical reaction of a
silane compound with a phenolic compound to form a
covalent bond between the
silane compound and the phenolic compound; d.) covalently binding the surface modifier with the microfibrillated cellulose by (i)
hydrolysis of the surface modifier to form a reactive
silanol group (R-Si-OH) and (ii) condensation of the
silanol group of the surface modifier with the available OH-group of the microfibrillated cellulose; e.) adding a
plasticizer to the surface-modified microfibrillated cellulose suspension; f.)
drying the suspension to remove water and obtain a
dry powder of surface-modified microfibrillated cellulose.