Nanopolysaccharides in environmental treatments

Abstract

In recent years, sustainable nanopolysaccharides, such as cellulose nanocrystals (CNC), cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) and chitin nanocrystals (ChNC) have been explored for improving the efficiency of environment prevention and purification. The potential application is attributed to their biodegradability, sustainability, renewability, biocompatibility, high aspect ratio and high capacity retention. Besides the outstanding advantages, the tailorability of the surface chemistry may enhance the binding efficiency. This review provides a detailed overview of pristine, surface-functionalized nanopolysaccharides and nanocomposites for applications in removal heavy metal ions, organic molecules, dyes and toxic gas in various wastewater treatment and gas adsorptions processes, such as adsorption, flocculation, and membrane filtration. It appears that abundant nanopolysaccharide materials have attracted increasing attention in promising environmental applications.