Synthesis of Cyclodextrin-functionalized Cellulose Nanofibril Aerogel as a Highly Effective Adsorbent for Phenol Pollutant Removal

• Main Authors: Fang Zhang, Weibing Wu, Sudhir Sharma, Guolin Tong, Yulin Deng
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: North Carolina State University 2015-09-01
• Series: BioResources
• Subjects: Adsorption; Aerogel; Nanofibrillar cellulose; Phenol pollutants; Water treatment; Beta-cyclodextrin
• Online Access: http://ojs.cnr.ncsu.edu/index.php/BioRes/article/view/BioRes_10_4_7555_Zhang_Synthesis_Cyclodextrin_Cellulose

Cellulose nanofibril (CNF) aerogels with grafted beta-cyclodextrin (β-CD) were prepared for the adsorption of phenol pollutants from water. Compared with regular wood fibers, CNF aerogel not only can immobilize more β-CDs, but also it provides higher porosity and a larger specific surface area for phenol absorption. The CNF-CD aerogel becomes mechanically robust through chemical crosslinking. It can be easily separated from water after adsorbing phenol pollutants without complicated centrifugation or filtration. A series of studies on phenol adsorption was conducted. The results indicated that the CNF-CD aerogel prepared with a suspension concentration of 3% (w/w) had the highest adsorption capability. In addition, the CNF-CD aerogel showed an excellent reusability. The results indicated that the CNF-CD aerogel is an environmentally friendly and promising adsorbent for removing phenol pollutants from water.