Highly compressible nanocellulose aerogels with a cellular structure for high-performance adsorption of Cu(II). (March 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Mo, Liuting; Tan, Yi; Shen, Yulin; Zhang, Shifeng
• Is Part Of: Chemosphere. Volume 291:Part 2(2022)
• Publication Date: 2022-03
• Subjects: Nanocellulose aerogels -- Functional groups -- Heavy metal ions -- Adsorption mechanism -- Recyclability; Pollution -- Periodicals; Pollution -- Physiological effect -- Periodicals; Environmental sciences -- Periodicals; Atmospheric chemistry -- Periodicals; 551.511
• DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.132887
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0045-6535

Abstract

Abstract: Cellulose-based aerogels have considerable potential for various application due to renewable, low cost, and high availability. However, mechanical robustness and functionalization remain major challenges. Here, we synthesized a compressible, recoverable cellulose nanofiber (CNF)/carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC)/branched polyethyleneimine (BPEI) aerogel via electrostatic-modulated interfacial covalent crosslinking and freeze-drying process. The porous BPEI@CNF/CMC aerogel possessed excellent mechanical compression and high-density metal-chelating groups, which exhibited fast adsorption kinetics and high adsorption capacity (452.49 mg g −1 ) in static copper adsorption process. Furthermore, BPEI@CNF/CMC aerogels displayed excellent recyclability and could still reach 85% after 10 cycles. The integrated analyses of ATR-FTIR and XPS suggested that the predominant adsorption mechanism included electrostatic interaction, ion-exchange and chelation. This strategy provides a sustainable route to fabricate efficient biomass-based adsorbents for selective copper removal from water. Graphical abstract: Image 1 Highlights: A highly compressible cellular nanocellulose aerogel was developed. Functional groups were distributed on the aerogels via crosslinking modification. The cellulose-based aerogel exhibited high adsorption capacity for Cu 2+ . There were remained high than 85% adsorption efficiency after 10 adsorption-regeneration cycles.