Preparation of amino cellulose aerogel and its formaldehyde adsorption properties

The aerogel prepared from cellulose has the advantages of low density, high porosity, large specific surface area, good gas diffusion and adsorption space, which is a good gas adsorption material. In this study, microcrystalline cellulose was used as raw material, and LiBr ionic liquid was used as a solvent system. In addition, cellulose aerogel was modified by polyethyleneimine, which retained three-dimensional network structure and had excellent formaldehyde adsorption capacity. The adsorption capacity of polyethyleneimine-modified cellulose aerogel (PCA) to formaldehyde can reach 12.3 mg/g at 25 ℃. It was found that the adsorption capacity of PCA aerogel for formaldehyde changed with the increase in nitrogen content. The adsorption of formaldehyde was mainly through the chemical adsorption of the Schiff base reaction between NH2 and formaldehyde molecules in polyethylenimine (PEI). [Display omitted] •The production process of PCA is environmentally friendly;•PCA can adsorb formaldehyde selectively and irreversibly;•The adsorption capacity of PCA for formaldehyde is much higher than that of commercial coconut shell-activated carbon.