Nanocellulose synthesis from Tamarix aphylla and preparation of hybrid nanocellulose composites membranes with investigation of antioxidant and antibacterial effects

• Vegetable biomass Tamarix aphylla (TA) was used for nanocellulose (NC) synthesis. • NC extracted from TA was coated with silver (NC-AgNPs) and iron (NC-FeNPs) nanoparticles. • NC, NC-AgNPs, and NC-FeNPs were used to prepare nanocomposite ultrafiltration PES membrane. • The antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of NC and its coated forms with NPs were evaluated. Nanotechnology takes place in almost every stage of our lives and it has also started to find application in membrane technologies. In order to overcome the fouling phenomenon, which is the main problem of membrane processes, composite membranes containing metallic nanoparticles (NPs) with antibacterial properties are produced. Therefore, research continues to find environmentally friendly, inexpensive, and abundant materials to prevent membrane fouling. This study focused on the valorization of vegetable biomass Tamarix aphylla for nanocellulose (NC) synthesis which was coated subsequently with silver (NC-Ag NPs) and iron (NC-Fe NPs) nanoparticles to acquire the hybrid composites for ultrafiltration membrane preparation. The coated NC with metal NPs and synthesized membranes were characterized by SEM, EDX, FTIR, and XRD. The antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of NC and its coated forms with NPs were evaluated. It was found that significant scavenging abilities against the DPPH radical reached the maximum of 82.94% at 200 mg/L. The abilities of the three samples (NC, NC-Ag NPs, NC-Fe NPs) for DNA cleavage were tested and important outcomes were recorded. Furthermore, the antimicrobial abilities of the composites were examined by the microdilution procedure and they exhibited good ability. The biofilm inhibition rates of the composites were determined, where the highest biofilm inhibition against S. aureus and P. aeruginosa was recorded for NC-Ag NPs as 63.85% and 81.20%, respectively. Briefly, among the tested NC and NPs coated NC, NC-Fe NPs exhibited significant antimicrobial potential compared to the others. Thus, it may be promising hybrid nanocellulose complexes for antifouling membrane preparation.