Porous cellulose nanofiber (CNF)-based aerogel with the loading of zeolitic imidazolate frameworks-8 (ZIF-8) for Cu(II) removal from wastewater

Abstract

A novel biobased porous aerogel was synthesized using physical mixing, freeze-drying, and in-situ growth methods. Zeolitic imidazolate frameworks-8 (ZIF-8) were grafted onto the surface of the CS/CNF solid composite to form a ZIF-8@CS/CNF aerogel. The structural characteristics and the adsorption potential of the ZIF-8@CS/CNF aerogel were investigated. It was found that the specific surface area of the ZIF-8@CS/CNF aerogel was 206 m2/g, and the water stability of the CNF aerogel was enhanced by incorporating the CS. Meanwhile, the adsorption isotherm and kinetics of the composite aerogel fit the pseudo-second-order kinetic model (R2 = 0.96) and the Langmuir isotherm model (R2 = 0.97) with the copper(II) oxide (Cu(II)) theoretical adsorption capacity of 245 mg/g, respectively. Furthermore, this aerogel, which combined metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and CNF, was easy to fabricate and it was biodegradable. These characteristics suggest it has a broad potential for wastewater treatment.

Self-supported MOF/cellulose-nanocrystals materials designed from ultrafiltration

“…[18][19][20][21] Several publications detail the in situ synthesis of ZIF-8 particles on cellulose nanomaterials to overcome the drawbacks of its manufactured pristine form. Recent examples include composite membranes and aerogels for gas separation, [22][23][24][25] sequestration of pollutants from water, [26][27][28][29][30][31][32] as well as nanocomposites for catalysis 33 and electrically conductive materials 34 or drug delivery systems. 35 While these composite structures have made their mark in terms of applicability, their preparation falls back on the limitation imposed by laboratory-scale in situ synthesis of MOFs.…”