The capillary and porous structure of the protein-cellulose complexes of Arctic brown algae Laminaria digitata and Saccharina latissima

Due to their specific physicochemical, capillary, and porous properties, the cellulosic sorbents from macrophytes have a high number of possible uses. The number of studies of alternative sources of cellulose is nowadays increasing. One of the most interesting cellulose-containing components of brown algae biomass is protein-cellulose complexes (PCC). The capillary and porous structure of protein-cellulose complexes of brown algae Laminaria digitata and Saccharina latissima was studied. The mesoporous structure of PCC was revealed using the nitrogen adsorption method. The surface area of protein-cellulose complexes is 5.31 m²/g and 2.94 m²/g for PCC S. latissima and PCC L. digitata, respectively. The adsorption of cationic methylene blue was more effective (maximum uptake capacity 24 mg/g) than anionic methyl orange (maximum uptake capacity 11 mg/g), which could be explained by the surface properties of protein-cellulose complexes and their charge, as well as the acid–base features of the dyes. The obtained results highlight the potential of the studied materials for the adsorption of organic toxicants.