Search

Developing adsorbent materials based on biomass that can be easily recycled and reused to remove water pollutants has received widespread attention. A novel method for the preparation of calcium alginate/poly (vinyl alcohol)/boric acid (as–synthesized Ca-APB) aerogel fibers for highly efficient adsorption of methylene blue by directed freezing wet–spinning was presented in this paper. The Ca-APB-0.5 aerogel fibers exhibited a hierarchical structure consisting of a honeycomb micron pore structure with mesopores walls, with a maximum adsorption capacity of 508.99 mg/g in 5 h at 293 K. Meanwhile, the experimental data for Ca-APB-0.5 aerogel fibers showed the best fit to the Freundlich model and pseudo–second–order model. Moreover, the adsorption capacity was investigated for three consecutive cycles, with 469.37, 457.19, and 439.77 mg/g in the first, second, and third cycles, respectively. This paper proves that the hierarchical structure of alginate-based aerogel fiber is an effective dye adsorption material with high efficiency, reusability, and eco-friendliness. [Display omitted] • Robust alginate–based aerogel fibers via directed freezing–wet spinning. • Restriction of Ca2+ complexation by boric acid reduces the consumption of active groups. • Efficient adsorbent based on multi-active groups and hierarchical structure. • Micron macropores for channeling and nanopores for adsorption, inspired by soil pores. • Aerogel fibers realized high efficiency, reusability, and eco-friendliness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]