Creation of Composite Aerogels Consisting of Activated Carbon and Nanocellulose Blended with Cross-Linked Biopolymers: Application as Ethylene Scavengers

This study involved producing aerogels using activated carbon (AC) and nanocellulose (NC). Two distinct structured composites, AC composite aerogel (ACCA) and NC composite aerogel (NCCA), were developed by separately mixing AC and NC with identical proportions of cross-linked biopolymers: hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC), methylcellulose (MC), and chitosan (C). These aerogels were evaluated for their capability to adsorb ethylene gas through batch experiments, while the physical and chemical characteristics were thoroughly examined to determine their feasibility of removing ethylene. The resulting ACCA and NCCA aerogels exhibited low densities of 0.094 g cm⁻³ and 0.077 g cm⁻³, respectively, coupled with high porosity ranging between 95 and 96%. During the ethylene adsorption test, NCCA exhibited superior ethylene removal rates (~14.88–16.77 mL kg⁻¹) compared to ACCA (~13.57–14.97 mL kg⁻¹). Specifically, NCCA achieved a removal efficiency of 83.86% compared to 74.64% for ACCA. Kinetic model fitting yielded high R² values ranging from 0.97 to 0.98 with the Lagergren kinetic model. These findings suggest the potential of composite aerogels to be incorporated into food packaging materials for dynamic ethylene capture, independent of environmental conditions, thereby providing promising routes for further development.