Anionic polysaccharide stabilized nickel nanoparticles-coated bacterial cellulose as a highly efficient dip-catalyst for pollutants reduction

This article presents the preparation and catalytic performance of carboxymethyl cellulose stabilized nickel nanoparticles (CMC-Ni) and bacterial cellulose coated with it (CMC-Ni-BC) in the colloidal form and dip-catalyst, respectively. Ni nanoparticles were prepared by mixing nickel chloride and CMC aqueous solutions with reductant followed by quick microwave heating treatment. In a separate experiment, BC was synthesized by Gluconacetobacter xylinum . After purification, the synthesized BC was coated with the prepared CMC-Ni. The CMC-Ni-BC catalytic efficiency was evaluated in anionic 2-nitrophenol (2-NP) and cationic methylene blue (MB) dye reduction reactions by sodium borohydride. While using the similar reaction conditions for the 2-NP reduction, the suspension form of CMC-Ni catalyst showed higher reduction reaction rate constant as compared to the dip-catalyst of CMC-Ni-BC. Similarly, high reaction rate constant was observed for the CMC-Ni in comparison with the CMC-Ni-BC while performing the MB reduction reaction. However, supported type Ni catalyst was easily applied in further reactions without the need of further processing which is needed in the case of colloidal form of the catalyst. Moreover, the CMC-Ni-BC catalyst was also tested in the complex situation using the binary solution of 2-NP and MB for their simultaneous reductions. As high as 7.89 min −1 of reaction rate constant was calculated for the reduction of cationic MB by anionic polysaccharide stabilized Ni nanoparticles-coated BC.