Facile Fabrication and Characterization of Zn Loaded Cellulose Membrane from Cotton Microdust Waste and its Antibacterial Properties-A Waste to Value Approach

摘要

Cotton microdust (CMD) is an abundantly generated waste from textile industry with no commercial value. It is composed of cellulose as the predominant component along with other non-cellulosic components like lignin. The conversion of CMD to value-added materials would further improve the economics of the cotton mills. In this study, the CMD was converted into high value cellulose membrane through thermo-chemical pretreatment and spin coating methods. The thermal pretreated CMD was solubilized in 68 wt% zinc chloride solution prior to preparation of membrane and then the solubilized cellulose was spread on a plate and spin coated with 22% (w/v) sodium chloride. During the spin coating process, the cellulose membrane was formed with the simultaneous separation of lignin. The present method is a novel approach since a separate process for lignin removal from cotton wastes is not required to produce cellulose membrane. The XRD and FTIR analyses showed significant changes in the crystallinity and the composition of the cellulose membrane. The SEM picture of the membrane revealed uniform surface morphology. Moreover, the membrane was associated with good mechanical properties as indicated by rheology and tensile studies. The cellulose membrane had antibacterial activity against E. coli and efficient absorption and release of antibiotics. Therefore, the results would be useful for further development of a process for the production of cellulose membrane as a high value byproduct from the CMD in cotton mills.[GRAPHICS].