Enhanced oil removal by graphene oxide/N,N′-methylene bisacrylamide modified magnetite-cellulose aerogel derived from ramie stem waste: Adsorption performance, kinetics, and economical analysis

Oil spills in the sea pose grave environmental and health risks. The discovery of novel methods to remove oil from water has been the focus of numerous investigations, however they are having trouble scaling up. This study focuses on a modified adsorbent made from graphene oxide (GO) and N,N′-methylene bisacrylamide (MBA) sourced from waste ramie stems, designed for oil-seawater mixtures with high-capacity and reusable aerogels. A synthesized aerogel included ramie pulp dissolution in NaOH-urea, with additions of Fe₃O₄, potassium peroxydisulfate, GO, and MBA at 1–13 g/L concentrations. Treatments involved ultrasonication, coagulation, solvent exchange, and coating, resulting in a hydrophobic aerogel with a 117.46° contact angle. A maximum 5.81 g/g adsorption capacity was observed at 13 g/L MBA. MBA improved pore count and size, raising adsorption. MBA increased aerogel porosity from 0.873 to 0.898 and decreased density from 0.193 to 0.159 g·cm⁻³. GO bolstered aerogel structure, rendering it reusable for two cycles. This sustainable, cost-effective, magnetite cellulose aerogel could offer a biodegradable cellulose-based sorbents for oil spill challenges.