Modifications and applications of aerogel prepared with waste palm leaf cellulose in adsorptions for oily contaminations

Tao Tang; Rui Chen; Lirong Lei; Songqing Hu; Yi Hou

doi:10.1515/npprj-2023-0090

Article

Modifications and applications of aerogel prepared with waste palm leaf cellulose in adsorptions for oily contaminations

Tao Tang , Rui Chen , Lirong Lei , Songqing Hu and Yi Hou

Published/Copyright: June 19, 2024

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From the journal Nordic Pulp & Paper Research Journal Volume 39 Issue 3

Abstract

Aerogels are essential and effective materials for oily pollution adsorption and recovery. This work described a hydrophobic modified cellulose aerogel using waste palm leaf and its oil adsorption mechanism. By chemical vapor deposition, Methyltrimethoxysilane (MTMS) was employed as a hydrophobic modifier for aerogel of waste palm leaf cellulose at 80 °C for 5 h, and the modified aerogel demonstrated exceptional and stable hydrophobicity with a water contact angle of 132.4° that can still be maintained above 120° after two months of air exposure. After 10 adsorption and extrusion cycles, kerosene adsorption capacity can still reach over 18 times its weight with good regeneration and reuse performance. The kinetic analysis found that the pseudo-second order model was more appropriate for the aerogel’s oil absorption process, including mainly physical adsorption at the beginning and the following chemical adsorption. Owing to its low cost, hydrophobicity, high absorption capacity, and favorable reusability, this aerogel is expected to be used in oils, organic solvent spill cleanup, and oil/water separation fields.

Keywords: aerogel; cellulose; environmental protection; oil absorption; palm leaf

Corresponding author: Yi Hou, State Key Laboratory of Pulp and Paper Engineering, South China University of Technology, 510640, Guangzhou, China, E-mail: ceyhou@scut.edu.cn

Tao Tang and Rui Chen contributed equally to this work.

Funding source: The Science and Technology Planning Project of Guangdong Province

Award Identifier / Grant number: 2021A1515010645

Funding source: The Key Project of Research and Development Plan of Guangdong Province

Award Identifier / Grant number: 2022B0202020002

Funding source: The National Foreign Expert Project

Award Identifier / Grant number: G2023163008L

Acknowledgments

The authors of this article is very grateful to the State Key Laboratory of Pulp and Paper of South China University of Technology for providing the instruments and equipment.

Research ethics: The authors declare that neither the full text nor part of the paper has been submitted or published elsewhere.
Author contributions: Rui Chen and Tao Tang completed the experimental operation together, Yi Hou, Lirong Lei and Songqing Hu carried out the experimental supervision and guidance, and Tao Tang wrote the final article.
Competing interests: The authors state no conflict of interest.
Research funding: The authors are appreciative of the support of the Science and Technology Planning Project of Guangdong Province (2021A1515010645), the National Foreign Expert Project (G2023163008L), and the Key Project of Research and Development Plan of Guangdong Province (2022B0202020002).
Data availability: Not applicable.

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Received: 2023-12-08

Accepted: 2024-06-07

Published Online: 2024-06-19

Published in Print: 2024-09-25

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Articles in the same Issue

https://doi.org/10.1515/npprj-2023-0090

Keywords for this article

aerogel; cellulose; environmental protection; oil absorption; palm leaf