Preparation of Bioaerogel from Iron-Rich Microalgae for the Removal of Water Pollutants

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Abstract
Microalgae-based materials have gained significant attention considering their rich resources, cost-effectiveness, and environmental friendliness. Herein, iron-rich microalgae (Chlorella pyrenoidosa, CP) were treated by hydrothermal reaction under alkaline conditions to remove the protoplast and obtain a hollow shell with an FexOy core inside. Then, the iron-rich microalgae-based aerogel (Fe-CP aerogel) was fabricated through a freeze-drying process. The as-prepared Fe-CP aerogel exhibited superior adsorption performance, and the maximum adsorption quantity for Cu2+ could reach 208.3 mg/g due to the synergistic adsorption of the hollow shell of CP cells and FexOy core. The Fe-CP aerogel also possessed super-hydrophilicity and displayed high separation efficiency (over 99%) when used for separating different oil/water emulsions. Moreover, the existence of FexOy endowed the Fe-CP aerogel with photo-Fenton activity, thus exhibiting excellent antifouling performance. The prepared Fe-CP aerogel could be considered an ideal adsorbent, with green, efficient, low-cost, and regenerative properties, and has the potential for the practical treatment of wastewater.
Funding Information
  • Natural Science Foundation of Fujian Province (2022J01942, 2023J01948, 3502ZCQXT2023005, 2023I1006, 2021I0023, 2023H6036, JAT220228, GY-Z20039, GY-Z220189)
  • National Innovation Demonstration Zones and Collaborative Innovation Platform Project for Fuzhou–Xiamen–Quanzhou (2022J01942, 2023J01948, 3502ZCQXT2023005, 2023I1006, 2021I0023, 2023H6036, JAT220228, GY-Z20039, GY-Z220189)
  • Foreign Cooperation Projects (Industrialization) of Fujian Province (2022J01942, 2023J01948, 3502ZCQXT2023005, 2023I1006, 2021I0023, 2023H6036, JAT220228, GY-Z20039, GY-Z220189)
  • University–Industry–University Cooperation Project of Fujian Province (2022J01942, 2023J01948, 3502ZCQXT2023005, 2023I1006, 2021I0023, 2023H6036, JAT220228, GY-Z20039, GY-Z220189)
  • the Young and Middle-aged Teacher Education Research Project of Fujian Province (2022J01942, 2023J01948, 3502ZCQXT2023005, 2023I1006, 2021I0023, 2023H6036, JAT220228, GY-Z20039, GY-Z220189)
  • Scientific Research Foundation of Fujian University of Technology (2022J01942, 2023J01948, 3502ZCQXT2023005, 2023I1006, 2021I0023, 2023H6036, JAT220228, GY-Z20039, GY-Z220189)

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