AccScience Publishing / JES / Online First / DOI: 10.36922/JES025250007
Submit to JES
Cite this article
13
Download
79
Views
Journal Browser
Volume | Year
Issue
Search
Forthcoming Issue
Current Issue
View All
News and Announcements
View All
ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE

Nanocellulose/TiO2 composite as a sustainable adsorbent for dye-contaminated wastewater

Hai Le Tran1,2,3 ,  Phuong Bich Vo Hoang1,2 ,  Kwun Nam Hui4 ,  The Duy Nguyen5,6 ,  Nguyen Tran Truc Phuong5,6 ,  Gia Phuc Lam5,6 ,  Duc Anh Dinh5,6*
Show Less
1 Department of Chemical Engineering, Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology (HCMUT), Dien Hong Ward, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
2 Viet Nam National University Ho Chi Minh City, Linh Xuan Ward, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
3 Key Laboratory for Polymer and Composite Materials, Viet Nam National University Ho Chi Minh City, Dien Hong Ward, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
4 Joint Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education, Institute of Applied Physics and Materials Engineering, University of Macau, Taipa, Macau, China
5 Center for Hi-Tech Development, Nguyen Tat Thanh University, Saigon Hi-Tech Park, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
6 NTT Hi-Tech Institute, Nguyen Tat Thanh University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
JES 2024, 1(1), 025250007 https://doi.org/10.36922/JES025250007
Received: 18 June 2025 | Revised: 13 August 2025 | Accepted: 26 August 2025 | Published online: 19 September 2025
© 2025 by the Author(s). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )
Download PDF
XML
Cite
Abstract

In this study, a composite material based on nanocellulose (NC) extracted from water hyacinth and titanium dioxide (TiO2) was successfully synthesized using a simple reflux method. Structural and morphological analyses, including Fourier-transform infrared, X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy, confirmed a strong interfacial interaction between NC and TiO2, particularly through the formation of Ti–O–C chemical bonds, which enhanced the dispersion and surface characteristics of TiO2. The adsorption performance of the composite was evaluated using methylene blue (MB, a cationic dye) and methyl orange (MO, an anionic dye). Among the tested ratios, the NC/TiO2 composite with a 3/97 ratio exhibited superior adsorption efficiency, achieving 85% removal of MB within 10 min. This performance is attributed to the synergistic effects of hydrogen bonding from the hydroxyl groups of NC and the increased surface area of the composite. The adsorption isotherm of MB was well described by the Langmuir model (R2 = 0.944, qmax = 87.64 mg/g), indicating monolayer chemisorption, whereas the Freundlich model provided a better fit for MO. Kinetic analysis further confirmed that the adsorption of both dyes followed pseudo-second-order kinetics, consistent with a chemisorption mechanism. Overall, the NC/TiO2 composite is a promising and environmentally benign adsorbent, particularly effective for the removal of cationic dyes.

Keywords
Nanocellulose
Titanium dioxide
Composite
Adsorption
Dye removal
Funding
This research was funded by Nguyen Tat Thanh University (NTTU) for Science and Technology Development under grant number 2025.01.145/HĐ-KHCN.
Conflict of interest
Kwun Nam Hui is the Editor-in-Chief of this journal, but was not in any way involved in the editorial and peer-review process conducted for this paper, directly or indirectly. Separately, other authors declared that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have influenced the work reported in this paper.
References
  1. Forgacs E, Cserháti T, Oros G. Removal of synthetic dyes from wastewaters: A review. Environ Int. 2004;30(7): 953-971. doi: 10.1016/J.ENVINT.2004.02.001

 

  1. Crini G, Lichtfouse E. Advantages and disadvantages of techniques used for wastewater treatment. Environ Chem Lett. 2019;17(1):145-155. doi: 10.1007/S10311-018-0785-9/METRICS

 

  1. Mahmoodi NM, Saffar-Dastgerdi MH. Zeolite nanoparticle as a superior adsorbent with high capacity: Synthesis, surface modification and pollutant adsorption ability from wastewater. Microchem J. 2019;145:74-83. doi: 10.1016/J.MICROC.2018.10.018

 

  1. Nagendran V, Goveas LC, Vinayagam R, Varadavenkatesan T, Selvaraj R. Challenges and advances in nanocellulose-based adsorbents for dye removal: Mechanisms and future directions. Discov Appl Sci. 2024;7(1):1-23. doi: 10.1007/S42452-024-06413-Z

 

  1. Dutta S, Gupta B, Srivastava SK, Gupta AK. Recent advances on the removal of dyes from wastewater using various adsorbents: A critical review. Mater Adv. 2021;2(14): 4497-4531. doi: 10.1039/D1MA00354B

 

  1. Sherugar P, Padaki M, Naik NS, George SD, Murthy DHK. Biomass-derived versatile activated carbon removes both heavy metals and dye molecules from wastewater with near-unity efficiency: Mechanism and kinetics. Chemosphere. 2022;287:132085. doi: 10.1016/J.CHEMOSPHERE.2021.132085

 

  1. He X, Male KB, Nesterenko PN, Brabazon D, Paull B, Luong JHT. Adsorption and desorption of methylene blue on porous carbon monoliths and nanocrystalline cellulose. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. 2013;5(17):8796-8804. doi: 10.1021/AM403222U

 

  1. Abdullah AH, Yasin SA, Abdullah SM, Khalaf MY, Saeed IA. A kinetic and isotherm study on removing methylene blue from aqueous solutions by oxidized cellulose nanostructure. Emergent Mater. 2022;5(4):1199-1212. doi: 10.1007/S42247-022-00397-5/METRICS

 

  1. Ansari MM, Heo Y, Do K, Ghosh M, Son YO. Nanocellulose derived from agricultural biowaste by-products-sustainable synthesis, biocompatibility, biomedical applications, and future perspectives: A review. Carbohydr Polym Technol Appl. 2024;8:100529. doi: 10.1016/J.CARPTA.2024.100529

 

  1. Chen X, Mao SS. Titanium dioxide nanomaterials: Synthesis, properties, modifications and applications. Chem Rev. 2007;107(7):2891-2959. doi: 10.1021/CR0500535/ASSET/CR0500535.FP.PNG_V03

 

  1. Liu GQ, Pan XJ, Li J, Li C, Ji CL. Facile preparation and characterization of anatase TiO2/nanocellulose composite for photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange. J Saudi Chem Soc. 2021;25(12):101383. doi: 10.1016/J.JSCS.2021.101383

 

  1. Xue J, Zhu E, Zhu H, et al. Dye adsorption performance of nanocellulose beads with different carboxyl group content. Cellulose. 2023;30(3):1623-1636. doi: 10.1007/S10570-022-04964-1/METRICS

 

  1. Toro RG, Adel AM, De Caro T, Brunetti B, Al-Shemy MT, Caschera D. A facile one-pot approach to the fabrication of nanocellulose-titanium dioxide nanocomposites with promising photocatalytic and antimicrobial activity. Materials (Basel). 2022;15(16):5789. doi: 10.3390/MA15165789/S1

 

  1. Anita S, Hanifah TA, Kartika GF, Yanti PH. Methylene blue and methyl orange dyes removal using low-cost composite of banana peel-TiO2 adsorbent. J Phys Conf Ser. 2021;1819(1):012060. doi: 10.1088/1742-6596/1819/1/012060

 

  1. Rathod M, Moradeeya PG, Haldar S, Basha S. Nanocellulose/ TiO2 composites: Preparation, characterization and application in the photocatalytic degradation of a potential endocrine disruptor, mefenamic acid, in aqueous media. Photochem Photobiol Sci. 2018;17(10):1301-1309. doi: 10.1039/C8PP00156A

 

  1. Soliman SM, Abdelhafiz A, Elmahgary MG. Sustainable TiO2/sludge ceramic waste nanocomposite for high-efficiency photodegradation of rhodamine B. Results Chem. 2025;17:102569. doi: 10.1016/J.RECHEM.2025.102569

 

  1. Chen W, Yu H, Liu Y. Preparation of millimeter-long cellulose I nanofibers with diameters of 30-80 nm from bamboo fibers. Carbohydr Polym. 2011;86(2):453-461. doi: 10.1016/J.CARBPOL.2011.04.061

 

  1. França D, Siqueira G, Nyström G, Clemens F, Souza CF, Faez R. Charged-cellulose nanofibrils as a nutrient carrier in biodegradable polymers for enhanced efficiency fertilizers. Carbohydr Polym. 2022;296:119934. doi: 10.1016/J.CARBPOL.2022.119934

 

  1. Gupta VK, Suhas. Application of low-cost adsorbents for dye removal - a review. J Environ Manage. 2009;90(8): 2313-2342. doi: 10.1016/J.JENVMAN.2008.11.017

 

  1. Bhatnagar A, Sillanpää M. Utilization of agro-industrial and municipal waste materials as potential adsorbents for water treatment-a review. Chem Eng J. 2010;157(2-3):277-296. doi: 10.1016/J.CEJ.2010.01.007

 

  1. Daneshvar N, Salari D, Khataee AR. Photocatalytic degradation of azo dye acid red 14 in water: Investigation of the effect of operational parameters. J Photochem Photobiol A Chem. 2003;157(1):111-116. doi: 10.1016/S1010-6030(03)00015-7

 

  1. Foo KY, Hameed BH. Insights into the modeling of adsorption isotherm systems. Chem Eng J. 2010;156(1):2-10. doi: 10.1016/J.CEJ.2009.09.013

 

  1. Tran TH, Le AH, Pham TH, et al. Adsorption isotherms and kinetic modeling of methylene blue dye onto a carbonaceous hydrochar adsorbent derived from coffee husk waste. Sci Total Environ. 2020;725:138325. doi: 10.1016/J.SCITOTENV.2020.138325

 

  1. Dinh HT, Tran NT, Trinh DX. Investigation into the adsorption of methylene blue and methyl orange by UiO-66-NO2 nanoparticles. J Anal Methods Chem. 2021;2021(1):5512174. doi: 10.1155/2021/5512174

 

  1. Nguyen VT, Ha LQ, Nguyen TDL, Ly PH, Nguyen DM, Hoang D. Nanocellulose and graphene oxide aerogels for adsorption and removal methylene blue from an aqueous environment. ACS Omega. 2022;7(1):1003-1013. doi: 10.1021/ACSOMEGA.1C05586
Share
Back to top
Journal of Energy and Sustainability, Published by AccScience Publishing
We use cookies on our website to ensure you get the best experience.
Read more about our cookies here
Accept