Hydrophobic biofunctionalized nanocellulose/chitosan bioaerogel composite for sustainable oil spill remediation

Abstract The development of environmentally responsive polymeric materials derived from biomass has emerged as a central focus in macromolecular science, particularly for applications addressing water and environmental sustainability. Conventional oil spill remediation materials often rely on petroleum‐based sorbents that lack biodegradability and contribute secondary pollution, highlighting the urgent need for high‐performance, sustainable polymer systems with tailored surface functionality. This study focuses on the fabrication of nanostructured bioaerogel composites using nanocellulose and chitosan modified with beeswax as a natural hydrophobic agent for oil spill remediation. The addition of beeswax significantly enhanced the hydrophobicity and oil selectivity of the bioaerogels, as confirmed by Fourier transform infrared analysis and water contact angle measurements, which increased from 47.68° (BC‐C) to 135.99° (BC‐15), confirming a transition from hydrophilic to superhydrophobic behavior. The bioaerogels exhibited remarkable oil absorption capacities, reaching 43.2 g g −1 for vegetable oil, 42.1 g g −1 for motor oil, and 41.0 g g −1 for crude oil, while reducing water absorption to 4.9 g g −1 . Structural and textural analyses revealed the ability of shape retention for the samples with low and intermediate amounts of beeswax. Notable increase in density was observed from 0.0237 to 0.3780 g cm −3 and reductions in porosity from 96.4% to 67.2% with increasing beeswax content, ensuring enhanced mechanical integrity. These results demonstrate that biofunctionalized nanocellulose/chitosan aerogels represent a promising class of environmentally relevant polymer materials, offering scalable and biodegradable solutions for oil–water separation technologies within the framework of sustainable polymer science and circular economy strategies. © 2026 Society of Chemical Industry.