Sustainable biowaste-derived carbon aerogel/MXene composite for mercury removal from water


Nursharip A. Daulbayev C. Jandosov J. Bear J.C. Busquets R. Inglezakis V.J. Baimenov A.
September 2025Elsevier Ltd

Materials Today Sustainability
2025#31

Mercury is a major global health concern; it is widespread across all environmental media and it affects all forms of life. There is strong interest in materials that can effectively remove Hg from water. This study investigates a novel and sustainable approach for mercury removal that consist of macroporous aerogel composite derived from rice husk lignin and modified with MXene. The composite developed high specific surface area (320 m2/g) and remarkable potential for Hg2+ removal. Notably, 20 wt.% MXene modification increased the maximum adsorption capacity of the bare sorbent (lignin aerogel) from (82.4 mg Hg2+/g) to 135.8 mg Hg2+/g, which surpasses commercial adsorbents. The composite effectively removed Hg2+ even from tap water spiked with high metal concentrations (10 mg/L). These findings highlight the significance of lignin-MXene aerogels for real-world application in water purification and environmental remediation.

Composite , Heavy metals , Removal mechanism , Rice husk , Ti3C2Tx

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National Laboratory Astana, Nazarbayev University, 53 Kabanbay batyr ave., Astana, 010000, Kazakhstan
Institute of Nuclear Physics, 1 Ibragimov st., Almaty, 050000, Kazakhstan
Institute of Combustion Problems, 172 Bogenbay batyr st., Almaty, 050000, Kazakhstan
School of Life Sciences, Pharmacy and Chemistry, Kingston University, Penrhyn road, KT1 2EE, Kingston-upon-Thames, United Kingdom
Department of Chemical & Process Engineering, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, United Kingdom
Laboratory of Engineering Profile, Satbayev University, 22 Satbayev st., Almaty, 050000, Kazakhstan
Institute of Physics and Technology, 11 Ibragimov st., Almaty, 050000, Kazakhstan

National Laboratory Astana
Institute of Nuclear Physics
Institute of Combustion Problems
School of Life Sciences
Department of Chemical & Process Engineering
Laboratory of Engineering Profile
Institute of Physics and Technology

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