Cellulose-based aerogels from sugarcane bagasse for oil spill-cleaning and heat insulation applications

Quoc Ba Thai; Son Truong Nguyen; Duong Khanh Ho; Tuan Du Tran; Dat Minh Huynh; Nga H N Do; Thao Phuong Luu; Phung K Le; Duyen K Le; Nhan Phan-Thien; Hai M Duong

doi:10.1016/j.carbpol.2019.115365

Cellulose-based aerogels from sugarcane bagasse for oil spill-cleaning and heat insulation applications

Carbohydr Polym. 2020 Jan 15:228:115365. doi: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2019.115365. Epub 2019 Sep 28.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ National University of Singapore, Singapore.
² Ho Chi Minh University of Technology, VNU-HCM, Viet Nam.
³ National University of Singapore, Singapore; Ton Duc Thang University, Viet Nam. Electronic address: mpedhm@nus.edu.sg.

PMID: 31635729
DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2019.115365

Abstract

A promising and economic material for various applications, such as thermal insulation in construction building and oil clean-up in marine ecosystems, is successfully developed from the by-product of the sugarcane industry. Biodegradable sugarcane bagasse aerogels are produced using polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) binder, followed by a freeze-drying method. This environmental-friendly recycled aerogel has an ultra-low density ([0.016-0.112] g/cm³), a high porosity ([91.9-98.9]%), and a very low thermal conductivity ([0.031-0.042] W/mK). Its superhydrophobicity properties and its maximum oil absorption capacity (up to 25 g/g) are measured after coating aerogel samples with methyltrimethoxysilane (MTMS). The biodegradable aerogel has a Young's modulus of 88 K Pa and can be bent without breaking, demonstrating its high flexibility.

Keywords: Heat insulation; Oil spill-cleaning; Sugarcane bagasse aerogel; Thermal insulation.