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    Ultra porous nanocellulose aerogels as separation medium for mixtures of oil/water liquids

    Year: 2012

    Journal: Cellulose 2012 19 (2) pp 401-410, 20121211

    Authors: Nicholas Tchang Cervin, Christian Aulin, Per Tomas Larsson and Lars Wågberg

    Organizations: Wallenberg Wood Science Center, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Teknikringen 56, 10044 Stockholm, Sweden; Innventia AB, Box 5604, 11486 Stockholm, Sweden; Department of Fibre and Polymer Technology, School of Chemical Science and Engineering, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Teknikringen 56, 10044 Stockholm, Sweden

    A novel type of sponge-like material for the separation of mixed oil and water liquids has been prepared by the vapour deposition of hydrophobic silanes on ultra-porous nanocellulose aerogels. To achieve this, a highly porous (>99%) nanocellulose aerogel with high structural flexibility and robustness is first formed by freeze-drying an aqueous dispersion of the nanocellulose. The density, pore size distribution and wetting properties of the aerogel can be tuned by selecting the concentration of the nanocellulose dispersion before freeze-drying. The hydrophobic light- weight aerogels are almost instantly filled with the oil phase when selectively absorbing oil from water, with a capacity to absorb up to 45 times their own weight in oil. The oil can also be drained from the aerogel and the aerogel can then be reused for a second absorption cycle.