US 12569825 B1Patent grantUnited States

Date-Palm Cellulose Water Sorbent

Official patent title

Method for fabricating organic nanocomposite

Arabic title: طريقة لتصنيع مركب نانوي عضوي

Invention

Problem

Date-palm residues require productive disposal routes, while water-treatment materials and cellulose extraction processes can face scalability, energy, chemical-use, and environmental constraints.

Why it matters

Converting agricultural residues into an adsorbent could link biomass utilization with water-treatment research, but reagent hazards, chemical waste, process yield, adsorption selectivity, regeneration, particle retention, and lifecycle benefits require independent verification.

Approach

The method converts date-palm leaflets into carboxylated cellulose nanofibers, reduces zeolite USY to nanoparticles, and combines both with triethylamine through autoclaving to form a zeolite USY/cellulose nanocomposite.

Who may benefit

Potential beneficiaries include biomass-valorization researchers, water-treatment laboratories, zeolite and cellulose-material manufacturers, agricultural-waste programs, adsorbent developers, and university technology-transfer teams.

Potential value

The disclosure combines date-palm-derived carboxylated nanofibers with ultrastable Y-type zeolite nanoparticles and provides complete processing conditions plus stated iron-ion adsorption characteristics.

Background

Date-palm cultivation generates fibrous residues containing cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, and ash. Converting this biomass into higher-value materials could reduce disposal burdens and supply renewable feedstock for composites. Cellulose extraction is difficult because fibers are embedded in a lignin-rich structure, and conventional chemical treatments can consume energy and hazardous reagents. Zeolites provide porous adsorption sites, while carboxylated cellulose can add functional groups. The publication combines both materials in a process intended for iron-ion adsorption and broader water-treatment research.

Technology overview

The claimed process grinds date-palm leaflets and reacts them with HNO3 and stepwise-added NaNO2 at 80 to 90° C. for 8 to 12 hours, then washes and centrifuges carboxylated cellulose nanofibers. Zeolite USY is wet ball milled, washed, dried, and crushed. The two materials are mixed with triethylamine, autoclaved at 60 to 80° C. for 15 to 30 hours, collected, and dried. Dependent claims state iron-ion adsorption capacities from at least 50 mg/g at 20° C. to at least 90 mg/g at 40° C.

Potential applications

Potential adsorption of iron ions from water.
Development of zeolite/cellulose water-treatment media.
Valorization research for date-palm leaflet residues.
Studies of biobased nanofiber and zeolite interfaces.

Evidence-supported advantages

Uses date-palm leaflets as the cellulose feedstock.
Combines carboxylated nanofibers with porous zeolite USY nanoparticles.
Provides explicit preparation, milling, autoclaving, and drying conditions.
States temperature-specific iron-ion adsorption-capacity thresholds.

Development stage

The patent publication describes fabrication and states temperature-specific iron-ion adsorption capacities; commercialization was not established, and the reported performance and development stage were not independently verified.

Commercial opportunity

The process could support biomass-derived sorbent development or licensing to materials producers. Commercial validation should quantify feedstock variability, cellulose yield, nitric-acid, NaNO2, and triethylamine recovery, effluent treatment, worker safety, zeolite use, adsorption selectivity, regeneration, media shaping, pressure drop, scale-up energy, and lifecycle economics.

Patent classifications

WIPO IPC

B01J20/18Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
B01J20/28Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus

CPC

B01J20/183Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
B01J20/28009Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
B01J20/28028Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
B01J20/3021Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
B01J20/3071Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
B01J20/3078Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
B01J20/3085Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus

Inventors

First inventorAbdulrahman Ghonaim A. Alhamzani
InventorMohamed Abdellah Lemine Kerim
InventorSaad Abdullah Aljlil
InventorMortaga Mohamed M. Abou-Krisha
InventorSuliman Shadad A. Alharbi

Keywords

date-palm biomass
carboxylated cellulose
zeolite USY
nanofibers
iron adsorption
water treatment
ball milling
biomass valorization

Patent document and drawings

The patent publication is mapped to this record. Patent drawings remain within that publication; no separately cleared public media package has been supplied.