Nanocellulose-based composites for the removal of contaminants from wastewater

Polymers derived from plant and animal sources are of great interest in wastewater remediation due to their cost-effectiveness and renewable adsorption capabilities, one such polymer is nanocellulose (NC). NC has gained a lot of attention in various research fields due to its abundance in nature, nano-dimension, high surface area, stability and bio-compatibility. As a result, NC has emerged as a great potential adsorbent for the removal of contaminants such as heavy metals, organic dyes, oils, pharmaceutical and etc. in the environmental remediation. This review focuses on the description of the building blocks, structure, properties, isolation and also discusses the potential of nanocellulose based composites materials with reinforcements such as activated carbon, carbon nanotube, graphene oxides, metals, non-metals and ceramics that were effectively used as an adsorbents for diverse organic and inorganic contaminants in water.