2025/04/22 by Muzamil Jalil Ahmed, Baohu Wu, Antoni Sánchez‐Ferrer · 1 voice · 5 citations
Chemistry · Engineering · Materials Science · #Advanced Cellulose Research Studies #Extraction and Separation Processes #Nanomaterials for catalytic reactions
paper · doi:10.1016/j.jobab.2025.04.001
openalex publication_date 2025/04/22 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/07
Microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) was functionalised using a reactive ionic liquid monomer, i.e. , glycidyltriethylammonium chloride (GTEAC), via chain-growth polymerisation, resulting in a novel cationic polyelectrolyte-grafted quaternised MFC (QMFC). The degree of quaternisation and maximum ion exchange capacity of the resulting QMFC were 2.13 mmol/g ( i.e. , 132 mg/g) and 1.51 mmol/g ( i.e. , 94 mg/g), respectively. Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) experiments confirmed the retention of monoclinic crystalline structure for cellulose I with the corresponding decrease in the degree of crystallinity from 85% to 56% and the increase in the spacing between cellulose crystallites by 35%. The presence of the amorphous and grafted polymers was confirmed by microscopy, thermal analysis, and water sorption experiments. QMFC filter cartridges were prepared and tested under dynamic flow conditions with a pressure of 0.2 MPa (retention time of 0.5 min). These cationic polyelectrolytes enhanced multi-site ion exchange interactions as evidenced by the Freundlich sorption isotherm. The QMFC filter cartridges demonstrated high anion removal efficiency values of 83.2%, 98.1%, and 94.9% for NO₃⁻, SO₄²⁻, and PO₄³⁻, respectively. This system achieved a process mass efficiency of 2.79, an E -factor of 1.97, and an energy efficiency score of 66.3, which conforms to the green chemistry principles and demonstrates high potential for sustainable water purification.