To investigate the water absorption capability of the recycled
cellulose aerogel, the aerogel samples were subjected to three
cycles of water absorption tests using a dip coater for 2 h (Fig. 3).
The size and weight of the sample were measured before and after
each test. The wet sample was then dried at room temperature
for seven days. Approximate 19.8, 15.7, and 14.6 times of its dry
weight of water were absorbed in the first, second, and third tests,
respectively, as can be seen in Table 1a. The absorbance capacities
ofthe developed cellulose aerogels are 5X higher than those of sand
and saw dust and also almost equal to those of commercial polymer
sorbents [47–51]. Although no cross-linkers were used in the
synthesis, the aerogel preserved its shape after being immersed in
water for 2 h, indicating that the material has a stable structure due
to the cellulose–cellulose hydrogen bondin