Pickering emulsion-based synthesis of lignocellulose aerogels as adsorbents for pharmaceutical pollutants

The key idea of the PickPollutants project is to exploit lignin nanoparticles (LNPs) and lignocellulose nanofibrils (LCNFs) in stabilizing oil-in-water Pickering emulsions, which will serve as templates for the synthesis of LNP- functionalized aerogels supported by a network of LCNFs. The network structure of the aerogel, including the LCNFs and the LNPs, will be strengthened by covalent crosslinking using a lignocellulose acting enzymes laccase. The specially designed lignocellulose aerogel is envisioned to be a versatile adsorbent capable of PICKing a wide array of pharmaceutical POLLUTANTS from wastewater.