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Upcycling cigarette-filter cellulose acetate into antifouling ultrafiltration membranes for bovine serum albumin (BSA) removal
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Scientists found a clever way to turn used cigarette filters—one of the most common types of plastic litter—into water filtration membranes that can help remove protein contaminants from wastewater. Interestingly, filters made from actually-smoked cigarette butts worked slightly better at resisting clogging over time than unused filters, though they filtered water more slowly. This research points toward a way to reduce plastic litter while creating useful water-treatment tools, though more work is needed before this could be used in real-world water systems.
Abstract The Valorizing discarded cigarette filters into functional membrane materials offers a sustainable route to address persistent litter pollution while supporting water-treatment needs. The valorization of discarded cigarette filters, one of the most abundant plastic wastes globally, into functional membrane materials offers a sustainable route to mitigate persistent litter pollution while supporting water-treatment needs. This study upcycles cellulose acetate (CA) recovered from unused cigarette filters (N-CBF) and post-consumer smoked filters (W-CBF) into ultrafiltration membranes prepared via non-solvent induced phase separation (15 wt% CA in N, N-dimethylacetamide). Membranes were evaluated in a laboratory cross- flow setup at 1 bar using bovine serum albumin (BSA, 50 ppm) as a model protein foulant, focusing on pure-water flux, rejection, and antifouling indicators. N-CBF membranes exhibited higher pure-water flux (92.92 kg·m −2 ·h −1 ) than W-CBF (32.84 kg·m −2 ·h −1 ). In contrast, W-CBF showed slightly higher BSA rejection (71.57% vs 69%) and flux recovery ratio (84.47% vs 83.10%) and lower irreversible fouling (9% vs 17%), suggesting improved long-term stability despite lower permeability. Overall, the results highlight a trade-off between permeability and fouling resistance and demonstrate the feasibility of converting post-consumer cigarette filters into CA membranes for protein-rich wastewater pretreatment, contributing to circular-economy strategies. For water at room temperature, 1 L ≈ 1 kg, so flux values expressed as L·m −2 ·h −1 are numerically equivalent to kg·m −2 ·h −1 . Further optimization of filter decontamination and surface modification is recommended to enhance permeability while maintaining antifouling performance.
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