Polymers (May 2024)

Green Strong Cornstalk Rind-Based Cellulose-PVA Aerogel for Oil Adsorption and Thermal Insulation

  • Xiaoyang Yi,
  • Zhongxu Zhang,
  • Junfeng Niu,
  • Hongyan Wang,
  • Tiankun Li,
  • Junjie Gong,
  • Rongbo Zheng

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/polym16091260
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 16, no. 9
p. 1260

Abstract

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Cellulose-based aerogel has attracted considerable attention for its excellent adsorption capacity, biodegradability, and renewability. However, it is considered eco-unfriendly due to defibrillation of agriculture waste and requires harmful/expensive chemical agents. In this study, cornstalk rind-based aerogel was obtained via the following steps: green H2O2/HAc delignification of cornstalk rind to obtain cellulose fibers, binding with carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC)/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and freeze-drying treatment, and hydrophobic modification with stearic acid. The obtained aerogel showed high compressive strength (200 KPa), which is apparently higher (about 32 kPa) than NaClO-delignified cornstalk-based cellulose/PVA aerogel. Characterization of the obtained aerogel through SEM, water contact angle, etc., showed high porosity (95%), low density (0.0198 g/cm−3), and hydrophobicity (water contact angle, 159°), resulting in excellent n-hexane adsorption capacity (35 g/g), higher (about 29.5 g/g) than NaClO-delignified cornstalk-based cellulose/PVA aerogel. The adsorbed oil was recovered by the extrusion method, and the aerogel showed excellent recyclability in oil adsorption.

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