Ultra-lightweight and highly porous carbon aerogels from bamboo pulp fibers as an effective sorbent for water treatment

Sorbents derived from biomass provide a novel approach to settle issues of organic solvent and/or oil leakage. In this work, a novel carbon aerogel (CA) was prepared as sorbents using the cheap and abundant bamboo pulp fibers as precursors through the pyrolysis method. The CA displayed an ultra-low density (5.65 mg cm−3), high hydrophobicity (water contact angle of 135.9°) and a large specific surface area (379.39 m2 g−1) as well as great mechanical properties. The absorption capacities of CA for organic solvents/oils were extraordinary (50–150 g/g). Particularly, its absorption on organic solvents was superior to many other bio-based CAs. The reusability of CA was also found impressive. For over five absorption–desorption cycles, the CA still showed excellent absorption behaviors on organic solvents and oils. Importantly, the fabrication process of CA is quite simple and environmentally friendly, demonstrating high potentials for future water treatment applications. Keywords: Bamboo, Pyrolysis, Carbon aerogel, Water treatment