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Rapid adsorption of directional cellulose nanofibers/3-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane/polyethyleneimine aerogels on microplastics in water

International Journal of Biological Macromolecules 2023 69 citations

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Researchers developed a cellulose nanofiber aerogel modified with polyethyleneimine for rapidly adsorbing microplastics from water. The study found that the aerogel reached adsorption equilibrium within just 20 minutes and followed established kinetic and isotherm models. These findings suggest that modified cellulose-based aerogels could serve as effective, green materials for removing microplastic contamination from water bodies.

Polymers

Currently, cellulose-based aerogel materials are a hot topic owing to their high specific surface area and high porosity, as well as the green, degradable and biocompatible characteristics of cellulosic materials. Modification of cellulose to enhance the adsorption properties of cellulose-based aerogels has important research significance in solving the problem of water body pollution. In this paper, cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) were modified with polyethyleneimine (PEI), and modified aerogels with directional structures were prepared by a simple reaction and freeze-drying method. The adsorption behavior of the aerogel followed the adsorption kinetic models and isotherm models. More significantly, the aerogel could rapidly adsorb microplastics, reaching equilibrium within 20 min. Furthermore, the fluorescence displayed directly expresses the occurrence of the adsorption behavior of the aerogels. Therefore, the modified cellulose nanofiber aerogels were of reference significance for microplastic removal from water bodies.

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