PRODUCTION OF NANOCELLULOSE FOR WATER PURIFICATION FROM DYES

In the context of increasing industrial pollution and insufficient efficiency of traditional wastewater treatment methods, the issue of finding environmentally friendly and effective sorbents is particularly acute. Industrial dyes entering reservoirs change their color, are toxic and can pose a serious threat to human health and the ecosystem. The main difficulty lies in the fact that many dyes are resistant to biodegradation, which complicates their removal by standard cleaning methods. One of the promising materials that can solve this problem is nanocellulose, which has unique properties: high specific surface area, biocompatibility and biodegradability. Obtained from renewable sources, nanocellulose can become the basis for environmentally friendly water treatment systems. This study is aimed at studying the adsorption characteristics of nanocellulose synthesized from microcrystalline cellulose in relation to two stable water – soluble dyes – methylene blue and bengal rose. The results showed that nanocellulose effectively adsorbs methylene blue, reaching a sorption capacity of 35.87 mg/g, whereas for Bengal rose the adsorption capacity was 26.11 mg/g, which is explained by the difference in the types of interactions: chemical and physical adsorption. The methods of IR spectroscopy and X-ray diffractometry confirmed the structural changes that occurred during the synthesis of nanocellulose, which had a positive effect on its sorption characteristics. Morphological studies using optical and scanning electron microscopes have also demonstrated a high degree of dispersion and a developed porous structure of nanocellulose, which is important for improving its adsorption properties.