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Recovery of Cellulose Acetate from Spent Cigarette Filters by Green Solvents for Production of Polymer Films
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Researchers developed a sustainable method for recovering cellulose acetate from spent cigarette filters — a persistent microplastic and chemical pollution source — using green solvents including deionised water, sodium chloride solutions, and ethanol under varying temperature and concentration conditions. They found that 75% ethanol was most effective for recovery, and characterised the purified material by FT-IR, TGA-DSC, NMR, and FESEM for use in producing new polymer films.
Spent cigarette filters, primarily composed of cellulose acetate (CA), represent a significant source of persistent microplastic and chemical pollution especially in the marine environment. This study presents a sustainable method for recovering cellulose acetate from smoked cigarette butts using green solvents—specifically deionized water, sodium chloride (NaCl) solutions, and ethanol—under varying conditions of temperature and concentration. Characterization of the purified material was conducted through FT-IR, TGA-DSC, NMR, and FESEM techniques. Ethanol at $75 \%$ concentration was found to be the most effective in removing organic and inorganic contaminants while preserving the CA structure. The optimized cleaning involved a three-cycle washing protocol, yielding cellulose acetate suitable for film production. Ethyl acetate was identified as the optimal solvent for casting uniform films from the recovered polymer. This approach offers a low-cost, eco-friendly pathway for recycling cigarette waste into biopolymer materials, contributing to pollution mitigation and circular material use.
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