Study on the Adsorption Behavior of a Cellulose Nanofibril/Tannic Acid/Polyvinyl Alcohol Aerogel for Cu(II), Cd(II), and Pb(II) Heavy Metal Ions

Nanocellulose-based composite aerogels have the advantages of high porosity, biodegradability, and biocompatibility, with wide applications in many fields, such as adsorption, separation, energy storage, and heat insulation. In this study, a nanocellulose-based composite aerogel (NCA) was prepared u...

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Main Authors: Xuejin Zhang, Yulong Tian, Huanhuan Chen, Ying Liu, Shuaichuang Han, Minmin Chang, Jingshun Zhuang, Qingzhi Ma
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-07-01
Series:Nanomaterials
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2079-4991/15/14/1063
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author Xuejin Zhang
Yulong Tian
Huanhuan Chen
Ying Liu
Shuaichuang Han
Minmin Chang
Jingshun Zhuang
Qingzhi Ma
author_facet Xuejin Zhang
Yulong Tian
Huanhuan Chen
Ying Liu
Shuaichuang Han
Minmin Chang
Jingshun Zhuang
Qingzhi Ma
author_sort Xuejin Zhang
collection DOAJ
description Nanocellulose-based composite aerogels have the advantages of high porosity, biodegradability, and biocompatibility, with wide applications in many fields, such as adsorption, separation, energy storage, and heat insulation. In this study, a nanocellulose-based composite aerogel (NCA) was prepared using the one-pot method with cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs), tannic acid (TA), and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) as raw materials. The adsorption behaviors of Pb<sup>2+</sup>, Cd<sup>2+</sup>, and Cu<sup>2+</sup> were also studied. FT-IR analysis confirmed that TA successfully solidified on the nanocellulose, while SEM analysis revealed that the prepared NCA exhibited significantly higher porosity compared with the cellulose nanofibril-only aerogel. The results of the adsorption experiment demonstrated that the adsorption behavior of heavy metal ions using the prepared NCA followed pseudo-second-order kinetics. The adsorption isotherms fit well with the Langmuir adsorption model, indicating that the process of aerogels adsorbing heavy metal ions is that of monolayer adsorption. Under conditions of pH 6 and an initial heavy metal ion concentration of 100 mg/L, the maximum adsorption capacity calculated for the prepared NCA was up to 196.850 mg/g, 181.488 mg/g, and 151.515 mg/g for Cu<sup>2+</sup>, Cd<sup>2+</sup>, and Pb<sup>2+</sup>, respectively. Furthermore, the prepared NCA exhibited excellent reusability, with more than 90% efficiency retained after three cycles. NCAs have the potential to become an efficient material for absorbing heavy metal ions in water.
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spelling doaj-art-cc05f6e3ce944dc7b78ea0553b2d62f82025-08-20T03:32:15ZengMDPI AGNanomaterials2079-49912025-07-011514106310.3390/nano15141063Study on the Adsorption Behavior of a Cellulose Nanofibril/Tannic Acid/Polyvinyl Alcohol Aerogel for Cu(II), Cd(II), and Pb(II) Heavy Metal IonsXuejin Zhang0Yulong Tian1Huanhuan Chen2Ying Liu3Shuaichuang Han4Minmin Chang5Jingshun Zhuang6Qingzhi Ma7School of Environment and Natural Resources, Zhejiang University of Science and Technology, Hangzhou 310023, ChinaSchool of Environment and Natural Resources, Zhejiang University of Science and Technology, Hangzhou 310023, ChinaZhejiang Jinlong Recycle Resources Technology Co., Ltd., Quzhou 324000, ChinaCAS Key Laboratory of Standardization and Measurement for Nanotechnology, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, Beijing 100190, ChinaSchool of Environment and Natural Resources, Zhejiang University of Science and Technology, Hangzhou 310023, ChinaSchool of Environment and Natural Resources, Zhejiang University of Science and Technology, Hangzhou 310023, ChinaSchool of Environment and Natural Resources, Zhejiang University of Science and Technology, Hangzhou 310023, ChinaSchool of Environment and Natural Resources, Zhejiang University of Science and Technology, Hangzhou 310023, ChinaNanocellulose-based composite aerogels have the advantages of high porosity, biodegradability, and biocompatibility, with wide applications in many fields, such as adsorption, separation, energy storage, and heat insulation. In this study, a nanocellulose-based composite aerogel (NCA) was prepared using the one-pot method with cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs), tannic acid (TA), and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) as raw materials. The adsorption behaviors of Pb<sup>2+</sup>, Cd<sup>2+</sup>, and Cu<sup>2+</sup> were also studied. FT-IR analysis confirmed that TA successfully solidified on the nanocellulose, while SEM analysis revealed that the prepared NCA exhibited significantly higher porosity compared with the cellulose nanofibril-only aerogel. The results of the adsorption experiment demonstrated that the adsorption behavior of heavy metal ions using the prepared NCA followed pseudo-second-order kinetics. The adsorption isotherms fit well with the Langmuir adsorption model, indicating that the process of aerogels adsorbing heavy metal ions is that of monolayer adsorption. Under conditions of pH 6 and an initial heavy metal ion concentration of 100 mg/L, the maximum adsorption capacity calculated for the prepared NCA was up to 196.850 mg/g, 181.488 mg/g, and 151.515 mg/g for Cu<sup>2+</sup>, Cd<sup>2+</sup>, and Pb<sup>2+</sup>, respectively. Furthermore, the prepared NCA exhibited excellent reusability, with more than 90% efficiency retained after three cycles. NCAs have the potential to become an efficient material for absorbing heavy metal ions in water.https://www.mdpi.com/2079-4991/15/14/1063tannic acidnanocelluloseheavy metal ionsadsorptionkineticsThermodynamics
spellingShingle Xuejin Zhang
Yulong Tian
Huanhuan Chen
Ying Liu
Shuaichuang Han
Minmin Chang
Jingshun Zhuang
Qingzhi Ma
Study on the Adsorption Behavior of a Cellulose Nanofibril/Tannic Acid/Polyvinyl Alcohol Aerogel for Cu(II), Cd(II), and Pb(II) Heavy Metal Ions
Nanomaterials
tannic acid
nanocellulose
heavy metal ions
adsorption
kinetics
Thermodynamics
title Study on the Adsorption Behavior of a Cellulose Nanofibril/Tannic Acid/Polyvinyl Alcohol Aerogel for Cu(II), Cd(II), and Pb(II) Heavy Metal Ions
title_full Study on the Adsorption Behavior of a Cellulose Nanofibril/Tannic Acid/Polyvinyl Alcohol Aerogel for Cu(II), Cd(II), and Pb(II) Heavy Metal Ions
title_fullStr Study on the Adsorption Behavior of a Cellulose Nanofibril/Tannic Acid/Polyvinyl Alcohol Aerogel for Cu(II), Cd(II), and Pb(II) Heavy Metal Ions
title_full_unstemmed Study on the Adsorption Behavior of a Cellulose Nanofibril/Tannic Acid/Polyvinyl Alcohol Aerogel for Cu(II), Cd(II), and Pb(II) Heavy Metal Ions
title_short Study on the Adsorption Behavior of a Cellulose Nanofibril/Tannic Acid/Polyvinyl Alcohol Aerogel for Cu(II), Cd(II), and Pb(II) Heavy Metal Ions
title_sort study on the adsorption behavior of a cellulose nanofibril tannic acid polyvinyl alcohol aerogel for cu ii cd ii and pb ii heavy metal ions
topic tannic acid
nanocellulose
heavy metal ions
adsorption
kinetics
Thermodynamics
url https://www.mdpi.com/2079-4991/15/14/1063
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