Dian Burhani, Sukma Surya Kusumah, Athanasia Amanda Septevani, Ruby Setiawan, Riska Surya Ningrum, Bernadeta Ayu Widyaningrum, Luthfiah Miftahul Djannah, Muhammad Andrew Putra, Dewi Sondari
Kapok/chitosan/cellulose nanofiber aerogel was prepared using a facile method: blending the cellulose nanofiber (CNF) and chitosan suspension with Kapok fiber using Ultra Turrax, followed by freeze-drying. CNF aerogel was fragile and had high porosity; therefore, adding chitosan and Kapok increases the formability of aerogel, which was a good feature for further application of the aerogel for oil spill absorbent. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy confirmed the materials’ blending, and the morphology was analyzed using Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FE-SEM). The oil absorption capacity of the obtained aerogel for two different oils (used cooking oil and used motor oil) was investigated. FE-SEM analysis displayed a sheet-like structure intertwined with tubular-like fiber, representing the CNF and Kapok. Light film was also observed on the surface of the aerogels, indicating the crosslink of chitosan with CNF. The absorption capacity of the Kapok/CNF aerogels was 24.58 to 26.56 g/g for used cooking oil and 23.15 to 27.3 g/g for used motor oil. The results revealed that the obtained aerogel is a promising candidate for oil absorbent, considering the hydrophilicity state of the obtained aerogel. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2025.
Research Center for Biomass and Bioproducts, National Research and Innovation Agency, West Java, Cibinong, Indonesia; Research Center for Environmental and Clean Technology, National Research and Innovation Agency, West Java, Cibinong, Indonesia; Research Center for Biology, National Research and Innovation Agency, West Java, Cibinong, Indonesia; Bioprocess Department, Brawijaya University, East Java, Malang, Indonesia
