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A review on the use of cellulose nanomaterials for wastewater remediation of heavy metal ions

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Abstract

Cellulose nanomaterials successfully made a breakthrough in diverse application including wastewater treatment. Cellulose nanomaterials manifested as a promising green candidate due to availability in Earth’s crust, low carbon footprint, sustainable, biodegradable and renewable. Cellulose nanomaterials are often used as adsorbents and filler in membranes for wastewater remediation due to high surface area and capability to the capture heavy metal ions. However, the use of native cellulose nanomaterials is not effective enough and this paved the path towards introduction of additional functionalization to cellulose nanomaterials. The modifications of cellulose nanomaterials such as esterification, amination and (TEMPO)-mediated oxidation not only enhance the adsorption efficiency of heavy metal ions but also significantly improved the mechanical stability and reusability of adsorbents compared to unmodified cellulose nanomaterials. Moreover, nanocellulose based membranes possess desirable pore size, mechanical robustness, better selectivity and adsorption efficiency of heavy metal ions. This review paper describes a general overview of the different strategies to extract cellulose nanomaterials and its specific properties. This paper also discusses the various routes of surface modifications of cellulose nanomaterials and their contribution as adsorbents and nanocellulose-based membranes in removing heavy metal ions. Future research should focus on nanocellulose based nanohybrids with carboxyl, thiol and amino functionalization for wastewater remediation.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge the financial support from the Ministry of Education Malaysia: PR006-2019A; University Malaya research grant: GPF002A-2019 and RMF0372-2021 for the success of this project.

Funding

Ministry of Education Malaysia: PR006-2019A; University Malaya research grant: GPF002A-2019 and RMF0372-2021.

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  1. Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Malaya, 50503, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

    T. Marimuthu, C. Y. Chee & N. M. N. Sulaiman

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  1. T. Marimuthu
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  2. C. Y. Chee
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  3. N. M. N. Sulaiman
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TM: Conceptualization and writing-original draft preparation, CYC: Supervision and reviewing and NMNS: Supervision and reviewing.

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Correspondence to C. Y. Chee.

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Editorial responsibility: J Aravind.

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Marimuthu, T., Chee, C.Y. & Sulaiman, N.M.N. A review on the use of cellulose nanomaterials for wastewater remediation of heavy metal ions. Int. J. Environ. Sci. Technol. 20, 3421–3436 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-022-04209-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-022-04209-5

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