Composite aerogels of TEMPO-oxidized pineapple leaf pulp and chitosan for dyes removal

•An effective pineapple leaf pulp extraction with a cellulose content of 91.66%.•TEMPO-oxidized pulp/chitosan aerogels prepared by self-crosslinking.•The ultra-lightweight composite aerogel shows a density of 8.46 mg/cm3 and porosity of 99.36%.•An exponential increase in Young’s modulus of composite aerogels reinforced by chitosan.•The methyl orange adsorption uptake of 136.64 mg/g in 6 min by hybrid aerogels.