Nanocellulose as a novel nanostructured adsorbent for environmental remediation: a review

Nanocellulose is a lightweight material with strong mechanical strength, inexpensive production costs and safe handling compared to synthetic nanoparticles. Thanks to the high specific surface area, broad possibility of surface modification and high mechanical strength, nanocellulose has emerged as a new class of biobased adsorbent with promising potential application in environmental remediation. Many classes of pollutants could be adsorbed by nanocellulose, including heavy metals, dissolved organic pollutants, dyes, oil and undesired effluents. The possibility for the regeneration of the nanocellulose adsorbent is another benefit driving attempts to fully exploit this new class of nanostructured biobased material. In this review, an update of the most relevant uses of nanocellulose as a new class of adsorbents for environmental remediation is outlined. An emphasis on the key advancement of surface modifications of nanocellulose to enhance the adsorption efficiency according to the pollutant class is highlighted.