Optimizing bacterial cellulose production towards materials for water remediation

Abstract

Cellulose is a renewable alternative to mass consumption plastics, but its manufacture by the classical methods is not sustainable due to the use of large amounts of strong acids, bases and/or organic species (e.g. ionic liquids) in its production, generating many residues. Bacterial cellulose (BC) has a simpler processing because it is much more cleanly generated. In this work, BC aerogels and xerogels are compared in order to ascertain how the bacterial culture conditions (pH, carbon and nitrogen sources) and the raw hydrogels processing determine their thermal stability, crystallinity index, swelling ratio and flammability. The most notable results are the influence of the drying method on the swelling ratio and the carbon source on the thermal stability. Finally, a feasible application of BC aerogels is presented by treating contaminated water and by capturing water within a non-polar solvent, taking advantage of the dry BC sorption capacity.