Nanofibrous Aerogel Shows Promise as Reusable Adsorbent for Sequestration of Anionic Dyes

Strategic Insights -

Researchers from the Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT) have developed a novel method to create cross-linked aerogels from chitin and partially deacetylated chitin nanofibers, which can efficiently adsorb organic pollutants from aqueous solutions. The aerogels exhibit high compressive strength and modulus, as well as rapid adsorption rates, making them a promising candidate for the sequestration of anionic dyes from wastewater.

Key Takeaways:

  • The demand for efficient bio-based adsorbents is increasing, and chitin-based aerogels have shown promise in this regard.
  • The combination of chitin and partially deacetylated chitin (C/dC-A) nanofibers creates a high-surface-area, low-density material that can effectively adsorb azo-type dyes such as methyl orange (MO).
  • The C/dC-A aerogels show enhanced adsorption capacity at lower pH values, from 20.1 mg/g at pH 7 to 33 mg/g at pH 4.
  • The aerogels exhibit rapid adsorption rates, with equilibrium adsorption achieved in 10 minutes.
  • The pseudo-second order kinetics and Langmuir, Freundlich isotherm models agree well with the experimental data, indicating chemisorption and mono/multilayer adsorption mechanisms.

Statistics:

  • The bulk density of the aerogels decreased with increasing dC content, while the accessible porosity decreased.
  • The aerogels exhibited high compressive strength and modulus of 0.72 MPa and 1.8 MPa, respectively, for C/dC-A(50/50).
  • The adsorption capacity of C/dC-A(70/30) was enhanced from 20.1 mg/g at pH 7 to 33 mg/g at pH 4 for 30 mg/L of MO.

Sources:

  • Nanofibrous aerogel based on cross-linked chitin / partially deacetylated chitin for efficient adsorption of organic pollutant from aqueous solutions. International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 2025:145047.
  • Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT) Reports Findings in Nanofibers (Nanofibrous aerogel based on cross-linked chitin / partially deacetylated chitin for efficient adsorption of organic pollutant from aqueous solutions). Nanotechnology Weekly. June 23, 2025; p 88.
  • Harinand Satheesan, Dept. of Polymer Science and Rubber Technology, Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSA.T), Kochi 22, India.