Comparative analysis of efficient application and performance of nanocellulose in water treatment

An introduction

With the acceleration of industrialization and the improvement of urbanization level, water pollution problems are becoming increasingly serious. Pollutants such as heavy metals, organic dyes and microplastics in the water have posed a threat to the ecological environment and human health. Therefore, the development of efficient, sustainable and environmentally friendly water treatment materials has become an important research direction in the field of environmental engineering.

As a green and renewable nanomaterial, nanocellulose has shown broad application prospects in the field of water treatment due to its high specific surface area, good surface modification ability and biocompatibility.

Structural and functional characteristics of two nanocellulose

Nanocellulose is generally derived from plant fibers or bacterial cellulose, and is prepared by mechanical dissociation, enzymatic dissociation or chemical oxidation. It mainly includes three types: cellulose nanocrystals ( CNC ), cellulose nanofiber filaments ( CNF ) and bacterial cellulose ( BC ). Its structural features include:

- The surface contains reactive functional groups such as hydroxyl groups, carboxyl groups or amine groups, which facilitates functional modification

- It has an extremely high specific surface area, which helps with adsorption reaction

- Good dispersion and stability, suitable for various carrier forms such as composite films, gels, sponges, etc.

The main application of three nanocellulose in water treatment

3.1 Heavy metal ion adsorption

Carboxylated or aminated nanocellulose can form stable coordination complexes with 、Pb²⁺ 、Cd²⁺ 、Cu²⁺ Cr⁶⁺ etc., effectively reducing the heavy metal content in water, and the adsorption capacity can reach up to 250 mg/g . The adsorption process mostly conforms to the Langmuir isothermal model.

3.2 Removal of organic dyes and drug molecules

By introducing hydrophobic groups, amine groups or cationic groups, nanocellulose can adsorb anionic or cationic dyes in water such as methylene blue, Congo red, etc., effectively removing colored pollutants in textile wastewater.

3.3 Capture of microplastics and particulate pollutants

Filtration membranes or composite sponges made of nanocellulose can efficiently filter out microplastic particles of 0.1-10 micron level due to their microporous structure and electrostatic adsorption properties, making it an ideal material for drinking water purification.

3.4 Composite material carrier function

Nanocellulose is often compounded with metal oxides (such as TiO₂ZnO Fe₃O₄ ), and has both adsorption and catalytic decomposition. It is used to degrade organic pollutants with antibacterial and photocatalytic properties and improve the diversity of water treatment functions.

Comparison of properties of four nanocellulose and traditional water treatment materials

See the table below:

Material Type	Adsorption target	Maximum adsorption capacity mg/g	Adsorption rate	Is it renewable	Source of materials	Environmental protection
Nanocellulose carboxylation	Pb²⁺	200–250	Get steady state within ten minutes quickly	是	Renewable plant fibers	高
Nanocellulose aminization	Cr⁶⁺	150–180	Medium speed	是	Renewable plant fibers	高
Activated Carbon	Organic pollutants	100–200	Medium to slow	Limited regeneration requires high temperature	Coal-based coconut shells, etc.	medium
Adsorbent resin	Dye organic matter	80–150	Medium speed	是	Petrochemical by-products	medium
Kaolin bentonite	Metal ions	30–60	Slow speed	Is it not easy to regenerate	Natural minerals	高
Titanium dioxide nanomaterials	Organic dyes	Catalytic decomposition non-adsorption	Quickly need lighting	No specific conditions required	Synthetic materials	Mid- stored nano leakage risk

Five application challenges and development prospects

5.1 Current Challenge

- High cost of large-scale production

- The regeneration and resource recovery system after adsorption is not sound

- Adsorption properties are susceptible to in complex water bodiespH coexistence ions

5.2 Future development direction

- Develop green and low-consumption preparation processes (such as enzymatic synergistic mechanical method)

- Strengthening composite design with metal oxide or polymer

- Explore new three-dimensional structures such as aerogel film materials

- Promote the practical application of nanocellulose materials in industrialized rural sewage treatment and emergency water purification equipment

Six conclusions

As a green and efficient water treatment functional material, nanocellulose not only has significant advantages in the removal of heavy metals, organic pollutants and particulate matter, but also has good renewability and environmental friendliness. Through material modification, process innovation and composite structure optimization, nanocellulose will play a more critical role in future green water treatment technology.

Nanjing Tianlu Nano Technology Co., Ltd. is located in Nanjing, the beautiful ancient capital of the Six Dynasties. It is a high-tech company specializing in the green preparation, research and development and application of nanocellulose. The company has a professional scientific research team, which has gathered a group of high-level talents such as professors and doctors from Nanjing Forestry University and Northeast Forestry University. Adopting advanced production and manufacturing processes, a green nanocellulose preparation production line has been formed, providing possibilities and guarantees for the large-scale industrial application of nanocellulose.

The nanocellulose products developed by the company can be used in multiple fields such as food, medicine, new energy, and petroleum. The company can also develop corresponding nanocellulose products according to different usage areas and needs, and can provide modified nanocellulose products according to customer requirements. Users and researchers are welcome to consult and order.