Development of eco-friendly CO2-responsive cellulose nanofibril aerogels as "green" adsorbents for anionic dyes removal

Lin Yang; Yifei Zhan; Yujia Gong; Erhui Ren; Jianwu Lan; Ronghui Guo; Bin Yan; Sheng Chen; Shaojian Lin

doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2020.124194

Development of eco-friendly CO₂-responsive cellulose nanofibril aerogels as "green" adsorbents for anionic dyes removal

J Hazard Mater. 2021 Mar 5:405:124194. doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2020.124194. Epub 2020 Oct 8.

Authors

Lin Yang¹, Yifei Zhan¹, Yujia Gong¹, Erhui Ren¹, Jianwu Lan¹, Ronghui Guo¹, Bin Yan², Sheng Chen², Shaojian Lin³

Affiliations

¹ College of Biomass Science and Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, PR China.
² College of Biomass Science and Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, PR China; National Engineering Laboratory for Clean Technology of Leather Manufacture, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, PR China.
³ College of Biomass Science and Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, PR China; National Engineering Laboratory for Clean Technology of Leather Manufacture, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, PR China. Electronic address: sjlin@scu.edu.cn.

PMID: 33097347
DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2020.124194

Abstract

A novel CO₂-responsive cellulose nanofibril aerogel as a "green" adsorbent derived from poly(methacrylic acid-co-2-(dimethylamino) ethyl methacrylate) and carboxylated cellulose nanofibrils was successfully prepared via stepwise cation-induced gelation and freeze drying method. This aerogel exhibited CO₂-triggered adsorption behavior towards anionic dyes with a rapid adsorption rate and a high adsorption capacity, as well as satisfactory mechanical properties. Upon CO₂ stimulation, the charged aerogel can selectively adsorb anionic dyes from aqueous solutions based on an electrostatic interaction. The maximum adsorption capacities of this aerogel towards methyl blue (MB), naphthol green B (NGB), and methyl orange (MO) were 598.8, 621.1 and 892.9 mg g^-1, respectively, accompanied by fast adsorption equilibriums towards MB and NGB within 7 min, and MO within 12 min. Meanwhile, the adsorption isotherms and the kinetics of the CO₂-responsive adsorbents followed the Freundlich isotherm and the pseudo-second-order model, respectively. Furthermore, the resulting CO₂-responsive adsorbent exhibited outstanding recyclability, as its adsorption performance can still be maintained even after twenty cycles. Accordingly, the resultant CO₂-responsive cellulose nanofibril aerogel could be a promising adsorbent material for the removal of anionic dyes in wastewater remediation.

Keywords: CO(2)-responsiveness; Cellulose nanofibril aerogel; Dye adsorption; Electrostatic interaction; Wastewater remediation.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't