Ixora coccinea L. - A reliable source of nanocellulose for bio-adsorbent applications

Abstract

Nanocellulose, a subset of nanomaterials made from cellulose, one of the world's most plentiful natural resources, has the potential to offer environmentally friendly, renewable, and sustainable building blocks with enhanced properties for a variety of applications in the nanotechnology field. This article describes the impact of glutaraldehyde (GA) on glycerol plasticized nanocellulose derived from I. coccinea L. plant root. Using a variety of characterization techniques, including Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray Powder Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), AFM, tensile and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analysis, the effect of GA on glycerol plasticized nano-cellulose was investigated. The tensile modulus of the GA-crosslinked, 2 % glycerol-plasticized nanocellulose scaffolds is higher (88.82 MPa) than that of the regular nanocellulose scaffolds (78.8 MPa). The scaffold Young's modulus has been increased to 86.3 MPa. The results of the BET study proved that the surface area of the GA crosslinked nano-cellulose scaffold improved to129.703 m2/g. The larger surface area in turn results in a greater number of contact sites between consecutive fibers. This enhances the utility of the scaffold as a bio-adsorbent for waste water treatment. The absorbance of textile black dye and methylene blue dye in sunlight using nanocellulose composites as photocatalyst revealed a significant decrease in dye concentration after each hour, demonstrating the composites' bio-adsorbent property. The non-toxic nature, inertness, increased crystallinity index values, and good mechanical qualities are other characteristics of the GA-treated nanocellulose encourages its uses as product packaging, bioengineering materials, tissue engineering, and insulation coatings.