PAF-1@cellulose nanofibril composite aerogel for highly-efficient removal of bisphenol A

Abstract

Bisphenol A (BPA), an endocrine disrupting compound (EDC) that affects the human nervous system, is used worldwide and is difficult to remove from water. PAF-1@cellulose nanofibril (CNF) composite aerogels are prepared through a double-cross-linking method and applied as adsorbents to remove BPA from water. With the successful combination of the high surface area of PAF-1 and the bulk skeleton of CNFs, as well as strong interactions between BPA molecules and the networks, the resulting composite aerogels can remove 77.7% of BPA, dissolved in water, within 10 seconds at an adsorption rate of 532.2 mg g⁻¹ min⁻¹, and their removal efficiency reaches 97.0% after 1 hour of adsorption. The adsorption capacity of PAF-1@CNF composite aerogels towards BPA is estimated to be as high as 1000 mg g⁻¹ according to the Langmuir adsorption model.