Ti3C2TX MXene/loofah-derived carbon aerogel for high-efficiency adsorption of organic pollutants in wastewater

The contamination of wastewater by organic pollutants significantly impacts human health and the environment due to their carcinogenic nature and various adverse effects. To address this issue, this study offers a high-efficiency and low-cost biomass-based carbon aerogel adsorbent, which was prepared through the hydrothermal carbonization of loofah, followed by Ti 3 C 2 T X MXene impregnation. The aerogel features a porous three-dimensional network structure and a substantial specific surface area, facilitating broad-spectrum adsorption capabilities for various dyes and drugs. The aerogel achieved impressive adsorption capacities of 175.29 and 75.73 mg/g for cationic methylene blue and Rhodamine B dyes, and 106.33 and 93.29 mg/g for anionic methyl orange and Congo red dyes, as well as 86.25 mg/g for tetracycline hydrochloride, surpassing other reported biomass-based aerogels. Furthermore, it demonstrated effective decolorization ability for wastewater containing mixed dyes. Notably, it exhibited excellent recycling and regeneration properties, maintaining a high removal rate after multiple cycles of adsorption–desorption. The adsorption process of dye/drug by the aerogel followed Langmuir’s monomolecular layer adsorption model, exhibiting spontaneous, endothermic, and disorder-increasing behavior in alignment with the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. This study presents an efficient biomass-based aerogel for the removal of organic pollutants from wastewater.