Nanocellulose-enabled Membranes in CO₂ Gas Separation

Nanocellulose, a more advanced and fascinating form of cellulose has achieved enormous interest and attraction ubiquitously, in many new high-end applications of cellulose in fields as diverse as nanocomposites, biomaterials, cosmetics and medical devices, energy storage, sensing well as in gas-separation technology and many more. Currently, the world is not only facing pandemic COVID 19 but also climate crises such as tropical storms, hurricanes, heatwaves, flooding mostly are the impact of global warming caused by greenhouse gases. Carbon dioxide (CO₂) is an important greenhouse gas that helps to trap heat in our atmosphere but its increased amount in the atmosphere cause global warming. Therefore, this review traces the developments in the nanocellulose-enabled membranes in CO₂ gas separation. Nanocellulose possesses high surface area, tunable functionality, high strength, biocompatibility, biodegradability, and hydrophilicity, which provides a greener and sustainable substitute to synthetic polymeric membrane. Nanocellulose-enabled membrane in gas separation is an emerging but critical research topic in view of environmental concerns.