Composition‐Tunable Lignocellulosic Aerogels From Eucalyptus spp. Bark for Oil and Cu 2+ Adsorption
ABSTRACT Composition‐tunable lignocellulosic aerogels were produced from Eucalyptus spp. bark as adsorbents without additional chemical functionalization. Four formulations comprising cellulose, lignin, and microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) were freeze‐dried: cellulose (CEL), cellulose/MFC (CEL‐M), lignin/MFC (L‐M), and cellulose/lignin/MFC (CEL‐L‐M) aerogels. The samples were characterized by SEM, nitrogen physisorption, XRD, FTIR, density, and porosity. All aerogels exhibited ultralow density and porosity above 99%, with composition‐dependent fibrillar organization, crystallinity, and pore architecture. Bru nauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface areas ranged from 0.95 to 7.37 m 2 g −1 for as‐synthesized samples and reached 18.38 m 2 g −1 after Cu 2+ adsorption. CEL showed the highest used cooking‐oil uptake (approximately 40 g g −1 ), whereas CEL‐M performed best for used pump oil (38.81 g g −1 ). Cu 2+ adsorption increased from pH 2 to pH 4–5; CEL‐L‐M reached the highest capacity (1.1337 g g −1 ) at pH 5 after 30 min, while L‐M reached 0.8964 g g −1 within 15 min and remained above 1.06 g g −1 from 30 to 60 min. FTIR changes and Cu detection by EDS supported pH‐regulated binding at oxygen‐containing sites. Accordingly, cellulose, lignin, and MFC contributed differently: CEL maximized cooking‐oil uptake, CEL‐M maximized pump‐oil uptake, while L‐M and CEL‐L‐M provided the fastest Cu 2+ uptake and highest capacity, respectively.
Authors
- Sarah K. S. da Silva (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0023-8847)
- André Luiz Missio (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9373-6313)
- Marlon Bender Bueno Rodrigues (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4911-2631)
- Brendon Willian Guedes Barbosa (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8296-1790)
- Patricia Oliveira Schmitt (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1372-2881)
- Fábio Pinto da Silva (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9349-5601)
- Everton Granemann Souza (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9884-6626)
- Robert A. Burrow (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4909-5007)
- César Aguzzoli (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9122-4461)
- Lincoln Audrew Cordeiro (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6302-1974)
- Chiara das Dores do Nascimento (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6028-9852)
- Darci Alberto Gatto (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6805-3243)
- Neftalı́ Lenin Villarreal Carreño (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5780-817X)
- Fabrício Celso (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6563-6312)
- Débora Rodrigues (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5401-4809)
- André Lamounier Caixeta (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0003-5147-4302)
Institutions
- Universidade Católica de Pelotas (BR)
- Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (BR)
- Universidade Federal de Pelotas (BR)
- Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia do Rio Grande do Sul (BR)
- Universidade de Caxias do Sul (BR)
- Universidade Federal de Santa Maria (BR)
- Instituto Federal Sul-rio-grandense (BR)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Journal of Applied Polymer Science
- Published
- 2026-09-09
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/app.71488
- Primary Topic
- Advanced Cellulose Research Studies
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00