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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Chem.
Sec. Polymer Chemistry
Volume 12 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fchem.2024.1330810
This article is part of the Research Topic

Recent Advances in Biomass Conversion to Sustainable Chemicals and Polymers

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Fabrication of Cellulose Nanocrystals/Carboxymethyl Cellulose/Zeolite Membranes for Methylene Blue Dye Removal: Understanding Factors, Adsorption Kinetics, and Thermodynamic Isotherms

Mostafa A. Ibrahim1 Ahmed Salama2 Fouad Zahran1 Mohamed S. Abdelfattah1 Ali Al- Salme3 Mikhael Bechelany4 Ahmed Barhoum1*
  • 1Helwan University, Egypt
  • 2National Research Centre (Egypt), Egypt
  • 3King Saud University, Saudi Arabia
  • 4UMR5635 Institut Européen des Membranes (IEM), France

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This study introduces environmentally-friendly nanocellulose-based membranes for AZO dye (methylene blue, MB) removal from wastewater. These membranes, made of cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs), carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), zeolite, and citric acid, aim to offer eco-friendly water treatment solutions. CNCs, obtained from sugarcane bagasse, act as the foundational material for the membranes. The study aims to investigate both the composition of the membranes (CMC/CNC/zeolite/citric acid) and the critical adsorption factors (initial MB concentration, contact time, temperature, and pH) that impact the removal of the dye. After systematic experimentation, the optimal membrane composition is identified as 60% CNC, 15% CMC, 20% zeolites, and 5% citric acid. This composition achieved a 79.9% dye removal efficiency and a 38.3 mg/g adsorption capacity at pH 7. The optimized membrane exhibited enhanced MB dye removal under specific conditions, including a 50 mg adsorbent mass, 50 ppm dye concentration, 50 ml solution volume, 120-minute contact time, and a temperature of 25°C. Increasing pH from neutral to alkaline enhances MB dye removal efficiency from 79.9% to 94.5%, with the adsorption capacity rising from 38.3 mg/g to 76.5 mg/g. The study extended to study the MB adsorption mechanisms, revealing the chemisorption of MB dye with pseudo-second-order kinetics. Chemical thermodynamic experiments determine the Freundlich isotherm as the apt model for MB dye adsorption on the membrane surface. In conclusion, this study successfully develops nanocellulose-based membranes for efficient AZO dye removal, contributing to sustainable water treatment technologies and environmental preservation efforts.

Keywords: Carbohydrate polymers, Cross-linked membranes, Nanocomposites, organic pollutants, Methylene Blue, Adsorption parameters

Received: 31 Oct 2023; Accepted: 18 Jan 2024.

Copyright: © 2024 Ibrahim, Salama, Zahran, Abdelfattah, Al- Salme, Bechelany and Barhoum. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence: Prof. Ahmed Barhoum, Helwan University, Helwan, 11792, Cairo, Egypt