Cellulose nanocrystal/halloysite nanotube composite aerogels for water purification

The quest for advanced water purification technologies has been vigorous over recent decades, motivated by the promise of ever more efficient, greener, and affordable tools. Halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) are naturally-occurring materials that have shown potential as dye sorbents. Unfortunately, these nanoclays suffer from low permeation during water treatment, which limits their widespread application. Here, we use cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) as structural scaffolds to support HNTs and fabricate permeable aerogel sorbent materials with mechanical stability. Aerogels containing 40 wt% HNTs showed a maximum dye adsorption capacity of 60 mg g-1 towards methylene blue, with only 15% decay in efficiency after 5 cycles. The good mechanical properties of these materials allowed for their incorporation into free-flowing purification columns that displayed excellent dye removal ability. Overall, this work provides a new strategy to fabricate green, renewable, and low-cost sorbent materials for the removal of dyes and shows potential for the sorption of other ionic pollutants. New aerogel sorbents that effectively remove dyes from water are created by mixing halloysite nanotubes and cellulose nanocrystals. These environmentally friendly and cost-effective materials may be useful for the remediation of water.

Automated summary

Scientists developed new aerogel sorbents by combining halloysite nanotubes and cellulose nanocrystals, and these materials effectively remove dyes from water. They are environmentally friendly, cost-effective, and have potential for water remediation.