Lightweight and anisotropic cellulose nanofibril/rectorite composite sponges for efficient dye adsorption and selective separation

Facile crosslinking methods for water-durable oven-dried cellulose nanofibril foams and their application as dye adsorbents

The potential applications of cellulose nanofibril-based foam materials can be expanded by their enhanced water durability. This study proposes two crosslinking methods to improve the water durability of the oven-dried carboxymethylated cellulose nanofibril (CMCNF) foam. The first method involves the addition of a crosslinker, polyamideamine epichlorohydrin. The second method is the self-crosslinking of CMCNFs via heat treatment at 140 °C for less than an hour, which is a simple way to crosslink CMCNF-based materials. Both crosslinking methods resulted in excellent water durability and wet resilience of the foams, which also exhibited high water absorbency. Furthermore, neither method affected the structural nor mechanical properties of the oven-dried CMCNF foams. In particular, self-crosslinking by heat treatment proved to be as effective as using a crosslinking agent. Compared to the freeze-dried foam, the oven-dried foam exhibited slower methylene blue (MB) dye adsorption but a higher maximum adsorption capacity (238-250 mg/g), attributed to the closed pore structure and a larger specific surface area. In addition, the isotherm and reusability of the foam for MB adsorption were investigated. These crosslinking processes expanded the potential use of oven-dried CMCNF foams as adsorbents for cationic dyes.

Anisotropic materials based on carbohydrate polymers: A review of fabrication strategies, properties, and applications

Anisotropic structures exist in almost all living organisms to endow them with superior properties and physiological functionalities. However, conventional artificial materials possess unordered isotropic structures, resulting in limited functions and applications. The development of anisotropic structures on carbohydrates is reported to have an impact on their properties and applications. In this review, various alignment strategies for carbohydrates (i.e., cellulose, chitin and alginate) from bottom-up to top-down strategies are discussed, including the rapidly developed innovative technologies such as shear-induced orientation through extrusion-based 3D/4D printing, magnetic-assisted alignment, and electric-induced alignment. The unique properties and wide applications of anisotropic carbohydrate materials across different fields, from biomedical, biosensors, smart actuators, soft conductive materials, to thermal management are also summarized. Finally, recommendations on the selection of fabrication strategies are given. The major challenge lies in the construction of long-range hierarchical alignment with high orientation degree and precise control over complicated architectures. With the future development of hierarchical alignment strategies, alignment control techniques, and alignment mechanism elucidation, the potential of anisotropic carbohydrate materials for scalable manufacture and clinical applications will be fully realized.

Low-cost and eco-friendly PVA/carrageenan membrane to efficiently remove cationic dyes from water: Isotherms, kinetics, thermodynamics, and regeneration study

Methylene blue (MB), a common dye in the textile industry, has a multitude of detrimental consequences on humans and the environment. Accordingly, it is necessary to remove dyes from water to guarantee our health and sustainable ecosystem. In this study, we developed polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)-based hydrogel adsorbents with high adsorption capacity by adding three types of carrageenan (kappa, iota, and lambda) to remove MB from water. Thanks to the functional groups, the PVA/carrageenan membranes dramatically increased the removal efficiency (kappa, 98.8%; iota, 97.0%; lambda, 95.4%) compared to the pure PVA membrane (6.3%). Among the three types of PVA/carrageenan membranes, the PVA/kappa-carrageenan membrane exhibited the best adsorption capacity of 147.8 mg/g. This result implies that steric hindrance was considerably significant, given that kappa carrageenan has only one sulfate group in the repeating unit, whereas iota and lambda carrageenan composite PVA membranes possess two and three sulfate groups. Apart from the maximum adsorption capacity, this study addressed a variety of characteristics of PVA/carrageenan membranes such as the effects of initial MB concentration, kappa carrageenan weight percentage, contact time, adsorbent dosage, and temperature on the adsorption performance. In addition, the kinetic and thermodynamic studies were also carried out. Lastly, the reusability of the PVA/carrageenan membrane was verified by the 98% removal efficiency maintained after five adsorption-desorption cycles.

Recent advances and future perspective on lignocellulose-based materials as adsorbents in diverse water treatment applications

The growing shortage of non-renewable resources and the burden of toxic pollutants in water have gradually become stumbling blocks in the path of sustainable human development. To this end, there has been great interest in finding renewable and environmentally friendly materials to promote environmental sustainability and combat harmful pollutants in wastewater. Of the many options, lignocellulose, as an abundant, biocompatible and renewable material, is the most attractive candidate for water remediation due to the unique physical and chemical properties of its constituents. Herein, we review the latest research advances in lignocellulose-based adsorbents, focusing on lignocellulosic composition, material modification, application of adsorbents. The modification and preparation methods of lignin, cellulose and hemicellulose and their applications in the treatment of diverse contaminated water are systematically and comprehensively presented. Also, the detailed description of the adsorption model, the adsorption mechanism and the adsorbent regeneration technique provides an excellent reference for understanding the underlying adsorption mechanism and the adsorbent recycling. Finally, the challenges and limitations of lignocellulosic adsorbents are evaluated from a practical application perspective, and future developments in the related field are discussed. In summary, this review offers rational insights to develop lignocellulose-based environmentally-friendly reactive materials for the removal of hazardous aquatic contaminants.

The Critical Roles of Water in the Processing, Structure, and Properties of Nanocellulose

The cellulose industry depends heavily on water owing to the hydrophilic nature of cellulose fibrils and its potential for sustainable and innovative production methods. The emergence of nanocellulose, with its excellent properties, and the incorporation of nanomaterials have garnered significant attention. At the nanoscale level, nanocellulose offers a higher exposure of hydroxyl groups, making it more intimate with water than micro- and macroscale cellulose fibers. Gaining a deeper understanding of the interaction between nanocellulose and water holds the potential to reduce production costs and provide valuable insights into designing functional nanocellulose-based materials. In this review, water molecules interacting with nanocellulose are classified into free water (FW) and bound water (BW), based on their interaction forces with surface hydroxyls and their mobility in different states. In addition, the water-holding capacity of cellulosic materials and various water detection methods are also discussed. The review also examines water-utilization and water-removal methods in the fabrication, dispersion, and transport of nanocellulose, aiming to elucidate the challenges and tradeoffs in these processes while minimizing energy and time costs. Furthermore, the influence of water on nanocellulose properties, including mechanical properties, ion conductivity, and biodegradability, are discussed. Finally, we provide our perspective on the challenges and opportunities in developing nanocellulose and its interplay with water.

Cellulose Nanofibril Stabilized Pickering Emulsion Templated Aerogel with High Oil Absorption Capacity

Nanocellulose-based aerogels, featuring a three-dimensional porous structure, are considered as a desirable green absorbent because of their exceptional absorption performance as well as the abundance and renewability of the raw material. However, these aerogels often require hydrophobic modification or carbonization, which is often environmentally harmful and energy-intensive. In this study, we introduce a Pickering-emulsion-templating approach to fabricate a cellulose nanofibril (CNF) aerogel with a hierarchical pore structure, allowing for high oil absorption capacity. n-Hexane-CNF oil-in-water Pickering emulsions are prepared as an emulsion template, which is further lyophilized to create a hollow microcapsule-based CNF (HM-CNF) aerogel with a density ranging from 1.3 to 6.1 mg/cm3 and a porosity of ≥99.6%. Scanning electron microscopy and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller analyses reveal the HM-CNF aerogel's hierarchical pore structure, originating from the CNF Pickering emulsion template, and also confirm the aerogel's very high surface area of 216.6 m2/g with an average pore diameter of 8.6 nm. Furthermore, the aerogel exhibits a maximum absorption capacity of 354 g/g and 166 g/g for chloroform and n-hexadecane, respectively, without requiring any surface modification or chemical treatment. These combined findings highlight the potential of the Pickering-emulsion-templated CNF aerogel as an environmentally sustainable and high-performance oil absorbent.

A comparative study on the malachite green dye adsorption of chemically synthesized and green MgFe2O4 nanoparticles using gerbera floral waste extract

The situation of discharging a large amount of dyes from the textile industries has caused many adverse effects on human health and the ecosystems. Emerging bio-nanomaterials represent a new trend in efficient dye removal in aqueous media. Herein, we mention that MgFe2O4 bioprepared using gerbera extract has been successfully used to adsorb malachite green (MG) in water. A comparison was made to determine the dye removal efficiency between biogenic MgFe2O4 (MFOB) and chemical MgFe2O4 (MFOC). The spherical MFOB material exhibited a large surface area of 85.0 m2 g-1 and high crystallinity. The obtained outcomes showed that the highest adsorption capacity of MG dye was 584.49 mg g-1 at a MFOB dose of 0.05 g L-1 and MG concentration of 10 mg L-1. Higher correlation coefficients in the Langmuir isotherm suggested monolayer adsorption of MG. The Box-Behnken design and response surface method were established to optimize MG removal percentage under the conditions, i.e., initial MG concentration (10-30 mg L-1), adsorbent dose (0.02-0.08 g L-1), and pH of dye solution (6-8). MFOB had good reusability with high removal efficiencies after three continuous cycles. Post reuse, this adsorbent still showed excellent stability through the verification of their structural properties in comparison with fresh MFOB, showing potential for practical applications.

Boosting functional properties of active-CMC films reinforced with agricultural residues-derived cellulose nanofibres

The search for packaging alternatives that reduce the presence of non-biodegradable plastics in water is a focus of much research today. This fact, together with the increasing demand for active packaging capable of prolonging the shelf life of foodstuffs and the rise in the use of natural biopolymers such as cellulose, motivate the present work. This work evaluates CMC films loaded with gallic acid reinforced with (ligno)cellulose nanofibres from various agricultural residues as candidates for use in active food packaging. The first stage of the study involved the evaluation of different nanofibres as the reinforcing agent in CMC films. Increasing proportions of nanofibres (1, 3, 5 and 10% w/w) from horticultural residues (H) and nanofibres from vine shoots (V), containing residual lignin (LCNF) and without it (CNF), and obtained by mechanical (M) or chemical (T) pretreatment, were studied. The results of this first stage showed that the optimum reinforcement effect was obtained with 3% H-MCNF or 3% V-MCNF, where up to 391% and 286% improvement in tensile strength was achieved, respectively. These films offered slightly improved UV-light blocking ability (40-55% UV-barrier) and water vapor permeability (20-30% improvement) over CMC. Next, bioactive films were prepared by incorporating 5 and 10% wt of gallic acid (GA) over the optimised formulations. It was found that the joint addition of cellulose nanofibres and GA enhanced all functional properties of the films. Mechanical properties improved to 70%, WVP to 50% and UV light blocking ability to 70% due to the synergistic effect of nanofibres and GA. Finally, the bioactive films exhibited potent antioxidant activity, 60-70% in the DPPH assay and >99% in the ABTS assay and high antimicrobial capacity against S. aureus.

Chitosan-based composite hydrogel with a rigid-in-flexible network structure for pH-universal ultra-efficient removal of dye

Polysaccharide-based hydrogel adsorbents become popular because of their high adsorption capacity and fast adsorption rate, but their low removal rate and poor pH resistance have always been fatal shortcomings. Herein, a feasible strategy was proposed to strengthen the ability of hydrogel adsorbent to remove organic pollutants (i.e., dye) by incorporating natural rectorite (REC) into chitosan-g-poly (2-acrylamido-2-methyl-propane-sulfonic-acid) hydrogel network to form a rectorite-in-polymer network structure. The introduction of less dosage of REC (1.2 wt%) into the hydrogel facilitates to improve its adsorption capacities toward methylene blue (MB) in deionized water, tap water, seawater, Yangtze River water, and Yellow River water (1083.39-1303.49 mg/g); while incorporating higher content of REC (15.8 wt% REC) helps to improve the removal rate (99.6 % for MB in real waters), which are greatly superior to commercial activated carbons. The adsorbent keeps high adsorption efficiency in a broad pH range (2-11), and can be reused for >4 times.

Chitosan Nanoparticles as Potential Nano-Sorbent for Removal of Toxic Environmental Pollutants

Adsorption is the most widely used technique for advanced wastewater treatment. The preparation and application of natural renewable and environmentally friendly materials makes this process easier and more profitable. Chitosan is often used as an effective biomaterial in the adsorption world because of its numerous functional applications. Chitosan is one of the most suitable and functionally flexible adsorbents because it contains hydroxyl (-OH) and amine (-NH₂) groups. The adsorption capacity and selectivity of chitosan can be further improved by introducing additional functions into its basic structure. Owing to its unique surface properties and adsorption ability of chitosan, the development and application of chitosan nanomaterials has gained significant attention. Here, recent research on chitosan nanoparticles is critically reviewed by comparing various methods for their synthesis with particular emphasis on the role of experimental conditions, limitations, and applications in water and wastewater treatment. The recovery of pollutants using magnetic nanoparticles is an important treatment process that has contributed to additional development and sustainable growth. The application of such nanoparticles in the recovery metals, which demonstrates a "close loop technology" in the current scenarios, is also presented in this review.

In Situ Electrospun Porous MIL-88A/PAN Nanofibrous Membranes for Efficient Removal of Organic Dyes

In recent years, metal-organic framework (MOF)-based nanofibrous membranes (NFMs) have received extensive attention in the application of water treatment. Hence, it is of great significance to realize a simple and efficient preparation strategy of MOF-based porous NFMs. Herein, we developed a direct in situ formation of MOF/polymer NFMs using an electrospinning method. The porous MOF/polymer NFMs were constructed by interconnecting mesopores in electrospun composite nanofibers using poly(vinylpolypyrrolidone) (PVP) as the sacrificial pore-forming agent. MOF (MIL-88A) particles were formed inside the polyacrylonitrile (PAN)/PVP nanofibers in situ during electrospinning, and the porous MIL-88A/PAN (pMIL-88A/PAN) NFM was obtained after removing PVP by ethanol and water washing. The MOF particles were uniformly distributed throughout the pMIL-88A/PAN NFM, showing a good porous micro-nano morphological structure of the NFM with a surface area of 143.21 m² g^-1, which is conducive to its efficient application in dye adsorption and removal. Specifically, the dye removal efficiencies of the pMIL-88A/PAN NFM for amaranth red, rhodamine B, and acid blue were as high as 99.2, 94.4, and 99.8%, respectively. In addition, the NFM still showed over 80% dye removal efficiencies after five adsorption cycles. The pMIL-88A/PAN NFM also presented high adsorption capacities, fast adsorption kinetics, and high cycling stabilities during the processes of dye adsorption and removal. Overall, this work demonstrates that the in situ electrospun porous MOF/polymer NFMs present promising application potential in water treatment for organic dyestuff removal.

Blood-Coagulation-Inspired Dynamic Bridging Strategy for the Fabrication of Multiscale-Assembled Hierarchical Porous Material

Porous materials, from macroscopic bulk materials (MBs) with (sub-)millimeter-scale pores to tiny particles (TPs) with (sub-)nanometer-scale pores, have attracted ever-growing interest in various fields. However, the integration of multi-scale pores in one composite is promising but challenging, owing to the considerable gap in the scale of the pores. Inspired by blood coagulation, a fibrin-based dynamic bridging strategy is developed to fabricate a multiscale-assembled hierarchical porous material (MHPM), in which fibrin formed as the sub-framework for the weaving-narrow of MBs and the enwinding-load of TPs. The bio-polymerization nature makes the fabrication rapid, facile, and universal for the customizable integration of seven kinds of TPs and four kinds of MBs. Besides, the integration is controllable with high load capacity of TPs and is stable against external shock forces. The unique multi-level structure endows the MHPM with large and accessible surface area, and efficient mass transfer pathways, synergistically leading to high adsorption capacity and rapid kinetics in multiple adsorption models. This work suggests a strategy for the rational multi-level design and fabrication of hierarchical porous architectures.

Recent advances and future perspective on nanocellulose-based materials in diverse water treatment applications

Over the past few years, nanocellulose and its derivatives have drawn attention as promising bio-based materials for water treatment applications due to their high surface area, high strength, and renewable, biocompatible nature. The abundance of hydroxyl functional groups on the surfaces of cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) and cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) enables a broad range of surface modifications which results in propitious nanocomposites with tunable characteristics. In this context, this review describes the continuously developing applications of nanocellulose-based materials in the areas of adsorption, catalysis, filtration, and flocculation, with a special emphasis on the removal of contaminants such as heavy metals, dyes, and pharmaceutical compounds from diverse water systems. Recent progresses in the diverse forms of application of nanocellulose adsorbents (suspension, hydrogel, aerogel, and membrane) are also highlighted. Finally, challenges and future perspectives on emerging nanocellulose-based materials and their possible industrial applications are presented and discussed.

Source of Nanocellulose and Its Application in Nanocomposite Packaging Material: A Review

Food packaging nowadays is not only essential to preserve food from being contaminated and damaged, but also to comply with science develop and technology advances. New functional packaging materials with degradable features will become a hot spot in the future. By far, plastic is the most common packaging material, but plastic waste has caused immeasurable damage to the environment. Cellulose known as a kind of material with large output, wide range sources, and biodegradable features has gotten more and more attention. Cellulose-based materials possess better degradability compared with traditional packaging materials. With such advantages above, cellulose was gradually introduced into packaging field. It is vital to make packaging materials achieve protection, storage, transportation, market, and other functions in the circulation process. In addition, it satisfied the practical value such as convenient sale and environmental protection, reduced cost and maximized sales profit. This review introduces the cellulose resource and its application in composite packaging materials, antibacterial active packaging materials, and intelligent packaging materials. Subsequently, sustainable packaging and its improvement for packaging applications were introduced. Finally, the future challenges and possible solution were provided for future development of cellulose-based composite packaging materials.

Chitosan-Functionalized Hydroxyapatite-Cerium Oxide Heterostructure: An Efficient Adsorbent for Dyes Removal and Antimicrobial Agent

The current research intended to employ a facile and economical process, which is also ecofriendly to transform camel waste bones into novel heterostructure for cleansing of diverse waste waters. The bones of camel were utilized for preparation of hydroxyapatite by hydrothermal method. The prepared hydroxyapatite was applied to the synthesis of cerium oxide-hydroxyapatite coated with natural polymer chitosan (CS-HAP-CeO₂) heterostructure. Being abundant natural polymer polysaccharide, chitosan possesses exceptional assets such as accessibility, economic price, hydrophilicity, biocompatibility as well as biodegradability, therefore style it as an outstanding adsorbent for removing colorant and other waste molecules form water. This heterostructure was characterized by various physicochemical processes such as XRD, SEM-EDX, TEM, and FT-IR. The CS-HAP-CeO₂ was screened for adsorption of various industrially important dyes, viz., Brilliant blue (BB), Congo red (CR), Crystal violet (CV), Methylene blue (MB), Methyl orange (MO), and Rhodamine B (RB) which are collective pollutants of industrial waste waters. The CS-HAP-CeO₂ demonstrated exceptional adsorption against CR dye. The adsorption/or removal efficiency ranges are BB (11.22%), CR (96%), CV (28.22%), MB (47.74%), MO (2.43%), and RB (58.89%) dyes. Moreover, this heterostructure showed excellent bacteriostatic potential for E. coli, that is liable for serious waterborne diseases. Interestingly, this work revealed that the incorporation of cerium oxide and chitosan into hydroxyapatite substantially strengthened antimicrobial and adsorption capabilities than those observed in virgin hydroxyapatite. Herein, we recycled the unwanted camel bones into a novel heterostructure, which assists to reduce water pollution, mainly caused by the dye industries.

Evaluation of the Antimicrobial, Thermal, Mechanical, and Barrier Properties of Corn Starch-Chitosan Biodegradable Films Reinforced with Cellulose Nanocrystals

Packaging materials play an essential role in the preservation and marketing of food and other products. To improve their conservation capacity, antimicrobial agents that inhibit bacterial growth are used. Biopolymers such as starch and chitosan are a sustainable alternative for the generation of films for packaging that can also serve as a support for preservatives and antimicrobial agents. These substances can replace packaging of synthetic origin and maintain good functional properties to ensure the quality of food products. Films based on a mixture of corn starch and chitosan were developed by the casting method and the effect of incorporating cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) at different concentrations (0 to 10% w/w) was studied. The effect of the incorporation of CNC on the rheological, mechanical, thermal and barrier properties, as well as the antimicrobial activity of nanocomposite films, was evaluated. A significant modification of the functional and antimicrobial properties of the starch–chitosan films was observed with an increase in the concentration of nanomaterials. The films with CNC in a range of 0.5 to 5% presented the best performance. In line with the physicochemical characteristics which are desired in antimicrobial materials, this study can serve as a guide for the development this type of packaging for food use.

A wood-mimetic porous MXene/gelatin hydrogel for electric field/sunlight bi-enhanced uranium adsorption

Although diverse uranium (U) adsorbents have been explored, it is still a great challenge for high-efficient uranium extraction form seawater. Herein a wood-mimetic oriented porous Ti3C2T x -MXene/gelatin hydrogel (MGH) has been explored through growing directional ice crystals cooled by liquid nitrogen and subsequently forming pores by freeze-dry (Ice-template) method, for ultrafast and high-efficient U-adsorption from seawater with great enhancement by both electric field and sunlight. Different from disperse Ti3C2T x -MXene powder, this MGH not only can be easily utilized but also can own ultrahigh specific surface area for high-efficient U-adsorption. The U-adsorbing capacity of this MGH (10 mg) can reach 4.17 mg·g−1 after only 1 week in 100 kg of seawater, which is outstanding in existing adsorbents. Furthermore, on the positive pole of 0.4 V direct current source or under 1-sun irradiation, the U-adsorbing capacity of the MGH can increase by 57.11% and 13.57%, respectively. Most importantly, the U-adsorption of this hydrogel can be greatly enhanced by simultaneously using the above two methods, which can increase the U-adsorbing capacity by 79.95% reaching 7.51 mg·g−1. This work provides a new biomimetic porous MXene-based hydrogel for electric field/sunlight bi-enhanced high-efficient U-extraction from seawater, which will inspire new strategy to design novel U-adsorbents and systems.