Fabrication and Characterization of Rice Straw-Derived Cellulose Nanofibers for Enhanced Adsorption of Reactive Black 5 and Methylene Blue Dyes from Aqueous Solutions

This study explores the use of rice straw-derived cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) for the adsorption of Reac-tive Black 5 (RB5) and Methylene Blue (MB) dyes from aqueous solutions. Rice straw was treated and mechan-ically processed to produce CNFs, which were characterized using techniques like FTIR, XRD, SEM, and TEM. The adsorption performance was evaluated under various conditions, including pH, contact time, initial dye concentration, and adsorbent dosage. The results showed high adsorption capacities for both dyes, with maxi-mum capacities of X mg/g and Y mg/g, respectively. The CNFs demonstrated good reusability, maintaining over 99% of their adsorption capacity after multiple cycles. The study aims to develop nanofibers from rice straw that are more efficient and sustainable for the removal of synthetic dyes from wastewater. The lignocellulosic composition of rice straw showed 79.33% α-cellulose and 15.6% lignin, with pretreatment reducing lignin content by 94.68%. The next step was to extract the cellulose and spin it into nanofibers, producing uniform and fine fibers with improved shape with chitosan. The nanofibers were found to be effective in removing the dyes, with accurate adsorption mechanisms and favorable conditions, particularly with increased chitosan content.