Comparative Study on the Efficiency of Mercury Removal From Wastewater Using Bacterial Cellulose Membranes and Their Oxidized Analogue.

A comparative study was conducted on the efficiency of mercury removal using bacterial nanocellulose (BNC) membranes obtained from the fermentation of the microorganism , in contrast with its oxidized analog obtained by modifying the bacterial nanocellulose membranes oxidation with 2,2,6,6-Tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl. Both types of membranes (modified and unmodified) were characterized to identify variations in the Physico-chemical parameters after modification. FTIR spectra confirmed the chemical modification of cellulose in all reaction conditions by the presence of a new characteristic band at ∼1730 cm, corresponding to the new carboxylic groups produced by the oxidative process, and the decline of the band at ∼1,650 cm, corresponding to the hydroxyl groups of the C6 carbon.