Synthesis of Cellulose Aerogels from Agricultural Waste

Bio-based porous aerogels are of great interest for capturing greenhouse gases. Among of these, cellulose aerogel has gained attention, owing to their abundant in nature, highly porosity, high surface area, and biodegradability. This work reported an approach to synthesis cellulose aerogels derived from agricultural waste. First, cellulose was extracted from rice straw and coconut coil fibers by traditional alkali treatment method and hydrothermal method. The extracted cellulose was characterized using FTIR, SEM, and XRD, respectively. It was found that rice straw provides a higher yield of cellulose content, as compared to coil fibers. Next, cellulose hydrogels were prepared by using borax as a crosslink agent. The obtained cellulose hydrogels were then freeze-dried to form cellulose aerogels. The specific surface area and the absorption of greenhouse gases of cellulose aerogel are under investigation.