Title
Chitosan aerogel beads with microfibrillated cellulose skeleton for removal of formaldehyde from indoor air
Authors
PENG WU and ZHIMING LIU

Received September 1, 2015
Published Volume 51 Issue 5-6 May-June
Keywords chitosan aerogel beads, formaldehyde cleaning, microfibrillated cellulose

Abstract
Formaldehyde is present to some degree in indoor air, and poses a considerable threat to human health. The development of efficient and effective sorbent materials is highly necessary, in order to remove formaldehyde and better safeguard the health of a building’s occupants. This study explores a new chitosan aerogel bead supported by microfibrillated cellulose, found to be an efficient biosorbent for formaldehyde, with high sorption capacity. Adsorption tests demonstrate that the sample prepared at a chitosan/MFC weight ratio of R=1 exhibits the highest specific surface area (1351 m2/g) and maximum HCHO adsorption capacity (2.2 mmolHCHO g−1). The outstanding sorption performance of the aerogel beads is associated with their unique physical and chemical properties, including low density, high porosity and specific surface area, as well as abundant surface-activated amino groups. This study provides valuable information for the fabrication of novel, environmentally friendly aerogel beads with high HCHO adsorption performance for indoor air purification.