A Review on Nanocellulose and Superhydrophobic Features for Advanced Water Treatment

Abstract

Globally, developing countries require access to safe drinking water to support human health and facilitate long-term sustainable development, in which waste management and control are critical tasks. As the most plentiful, renewable biopolymer on earth, cellulose has significant utility in the delivery of potable water for human consumption. Herein, recent developments in the application of nanoscale cellulose and cellulose derivatives for water treatment are reviewed, with reference to the properties and structure of the material. The potential application of nanocellulose as a primary component for water treatment is linked to its high aspect ratio, high surface area, and the high number of hydroxyl groups available for molecular interaction with heavy metals, dyes, oil-water separation, and other chemical impurities. The ability of superhydrophobic nanocellulose-based textiles as functional fabrics is particularly acknowledged as designed structures for advanced water treatment systems. This review covers the adsorption of heavy metals and chemical impurities like dyes, oil-water separation, as well as nanocellulose and nanostructured derivative membranes, and superhydrophobic coatings, suitable for adsorbing chemical and biological pollutants, including microorganisms.

Redesigning Natural Materials for Energy, Water, Environment, and Devices

“…Then, chelation involves the formation of chemical bonds between the ions and functional groups on the surface of cellulose-derived materials. In this process, the functional groups on the cellulose-derived material’s surface, such as carboxylic acid or amine groups, can form coordination complexes with the metal ions, resulting in a more stable binding between the cellulose and the ions. , Moreover, resulting from chemical treatment, the polymeric chains can be reconstructed from cellulose I crystalline structure to cellulose II, with phase change from amorphous to crystalline, providing Ångström-scale open channels of ∼10 Å in diameter (Figure c) …”

Modification of Nanocellulose

“…The incorporation of fluorine groups into the NC structure leads to a reduction in adhesion and surface tension. Additionally, the high electronegativity of fluorine enables the formation of stronger covalent bonds between the fluorinated NC and the reinforcing matrix (for more details, check section "Silylation"), enhancing the overall performance of the composite material (Iqbal et al 2022).…”

“…Nevertheless, it is crucial to explore alternative techniques due to the potential disadvantages of fluorinated materials. These disadvantages include toxicity, limited sustainability, and potential environmental harm (Iqbal et al 2022).…”

Facile Fabrication of Superelastic, Hydrophobic, and Hierarchical Polydimethylsiloxane@nanocelluloses Aerogels for Durable Oil/Water Separation

“…With the rapid progress of oil-related industrial and social activities, large amounts of immiscible oily wastewater have been produced in the last decades. [1][2][3] Thus, effective oil/water separation technology has been developed to mitigate the massive sewage discharge. [4][5][6] Adsorption/separation is considered one of the most promising methods of collecting oil from water due to the unrivaled advantages of convenience, mitigated energy consumption, and superior separation efficiency.…”