Preparation of Cu-modified bacterial cellulose aerogels derived from nata de coco towards the enhanced adsorption of non-polar organic solvents

Abstract This study presented a simple and eco-friendly method to load copper nanoparticles on the surface of bacterial cellulose produced via the fermentation of coconut water by Acetobacter xylinum (Nata de coco). The Cu modification of BC surface was based on the reduction of copper (II) acetate by hydrazine under ambient conditions in a dispersion system of Nata de coco in water, which was followed by freeze-drying, affording lightweight Cu-containing cellulose aerogels. The structural features of the obtained aerogels were investigated by scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray analysis (SEM/EDX), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), and nitrogen physisorption, indicating the high cellulose crystallinity, three-dimensional matrix and homogenous dispersion of Cu species on the cellulose bundles. The Cu-modified aerogel exhibited a significantly improved adsorption capacity of cyclohexane (66.4 g/g) as compared to that of pure cellulose (45 g/g). The excellent performances of 65.1-109.6 g/g were also observed for other non-polar solvents including n-hexane, toluene, ethyl acetate, dichloromethane, and chloroform depending their density.