The capillary and porous structure of the protein-cellulose complexes of Arctic brown algae Laminaria digitata and Saccharina latissima

Abstract

Due to their specific physicochemical, capillary, and porous properties, the cellulosic sorbents from macrophytes have a high number of possible uses. The number of studies of alternative sources of cellulose is nowadays increasing. One of the most interesting cellulose-containing components of brown algae biomass is protein-cellulose complexes (PCC). The capillary and porous structure of protein-cellulose complexes of brown algae Laminaria digitata and Saccharina latissima was studied. The mesoporous structure of PCC was revealed using the nitrogen adsorption method. The surface area of protein-cellulose complexes is 5.31 m2/g and 2.94 m2/g for PCC S. latissima and PCC L. digitata, respectively. The adsorption of cationic methylene blue was more effective (maximum uptake capacity 24 mg/g) than anionic methyl orange (maximum uptake capacity 11 mg/g), which could be explained by the surface properties of protein-cellulose complexes and their charge, as well as the acid–base features of the dyes. The obtained results highlight the potential of the studied materials for the adsorption of organic toxicants. Graphical abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.].