Amino-functionalized nanocellulose aerogels for the superior adsorption of CO2 and separation of CO2/CH4 mixture gas

Wenkai Zhu; Meiling Chen; Jieun Jang; Minsu Han; Yeonggyun Moon; Junghwan Kim; Jungmok You; Song Li; Teahoon Park; Jeonghun Kim

doi:10.1016/j.carbpol.2023.121393

Amino-functionalized nanocellulose aerogels for the superior adsorption of CO₂ and separation of CO₂/CH₄ mixture gas

Carbohydr Polym. 2024 Jan 1:323:121393. doi: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2023.121393. Epub 2023 Sep 16.

Authors

Wenkai Zhu¹, Meiling Chen², Jieun Jang³, Minsu Han⁴, Yeonggyun Moon³, Junghwan Kim³, Jungmok You⁵, Song Li⁶, Teahoon Park⁷, Jeonghun Kim⁸

Affiliations

¹ College of Chemistry and Materials Engineering, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou 311300, China; Co-Innovation Center of Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Resources, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China.
² Co-Innovation Center of Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Resources, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China.
³ Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Yonsei University, 50 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 03722, Republic of Korea.
⁴ School of Chemical Engineering and Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN), The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia.
⁵ Department of Plant & Environmental New Resources, Graduate School of Biotechnology, Institute of Life Science and Resources, Kyung Hee University, 1732 Deogyeong-daero, Giheung-gu, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do 17104, Republic of Korea.
⁶ College of Chemistry and Materials Engineering, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou 311300, China. Electronic address: li123song@163.com.
⁷ Carbon Composite Department, Composites Research Division, Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS), 797, Changwon-daero, Seongsan-gu, Changwon-si 51508, Gyeongsangnam-do, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: thpark@kims.re.kr.
⁸ Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Yonsei University, 50 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 03722, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: jhkim03@yonsei.ac.kr.

PMID: 37940286
DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2023.121393

Abstract

Nanocellulose-based aerogels have been considered as one of the ideal candidates for CO₂ capture in practical applications owing to their lightweight and porous properties. Additionally, various adsorbents with amine groups have been widely used as effective CO₂ capture and storage strategies. Herein, amino-functionalized aerogels were prepared by sol-gel and freeze-drying methods using two typical nanocelluloses (cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) and cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs)) as substrates. In addition, the reaction parameters for grafting and amino functionalization were optimized. The CNC and CNF aerogels could be easily modified by the hydrothermal growth of the amino group, and they exhibited attractive properties in terms of CO₂ adsorption, recyclability, thermal stability, hydrophobicity, and CO₂/CH₄ mixture separation. The amino-functionalized CNF aerogel exhibited superior performance to the CNC aerogel, which was attributed to the increased cross-linking binding sites for hydrogen bonding in the CNF aerogel. The results of this study indicated that amino-functionalized nanocellulose aerogels can be considered a promising biodegradable, sustainable, and environmentally friendly material for CO₂ capture and removal of CO₂ from CH₄.

Keywords: Aerogel; Amino functionalization; CO(2) adsorption; Cellulose nanocrystals; Cellulose nanofibrils.