Shape memory aerogels from nanocellulose and polyethyleneimine as a novel adsorbent for removal of Cu(II) and Pb(II)

Jian Li; Keman Zuo; Weibing Wu; Zhaoyang Xu; Yonggang Yi; Yi Jing; Hongqi Dai; Guigan Fang

doi:10.1016/j.carbpol.2018.05.015

Shape memory aerogels from nanocellulose and polyethyleneimine as a novel adsorbent for removal of Cu(II) and Pb(II)

Carbohydr Polym. 2018 Sep 15:196:376-384. doi: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2018.05.015. Epub 2018 May 17.

Authors

Jian Li¹, Keman Zuo¹, Weibing Wu², Zhaoyang Xu³, Yonggang Yi¹, Yi Jing¹, Hongqi Dai¹, Guigan Fang⁴

Affiliations

¹ Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Resources, Nanjing Forestry University, 159 Long pan Road, Nanjing 210037, China.
² Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Resources, Nanjing Forestry University, 159 Long pan Road, Nanjing 210037, China. Electronic address: wbwu@njfu.edu.cn.
³ College of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanjing Forestry University, 159 Long pan Road, Nanjing 210037, China.
⁴ Institute of Chemical Industry of Forestry Products, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Nanjing 210042, China.

PMID: 29891309
DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2018.05.015

Abstract

This study describes the preparation of an aerogel adsorbent based on nanofibrillated cellulose(NFC) and polyethyleneimine(PEI) via electrostatic combination without chemical crosslinking. Purely physical crosslinking between NFC and PEI was confirmed by attenuated total refraction-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The NFC/PEI hybrid aerogels exhibited good structural stability and shape recovery in water. Absorption experiment shows that the hybrid aerogels are excellent adsorbents for the removal of heavy metal ions owing to the highly porous structure and the existence of plenty of amine groups. Thermodynamic and kinetic study showed pseudo-second-order equation and Langmuir model (R² > 0.999) as the best fit. The maximum adsorption capacity of Cu(II) and Pb(II) according to Langmuir model was 175.44 mg/g and 357.44 mg/g, respectively. Besides, the Cu(II) or Pb(II) loaded NFC/PEI aerogel could be easily regenerated by EDTA and retain the adsorption capacity after repeatedly using. This environmentally friendly hybrid aerogels with high-performance are promising candidates for sewage disposal and metal pollution treatment.

Keywords: Adsorbent; Aerogel; Electrostatic combination; Heavy metal; Shape memory.