Effectiveness of cigarette butt filters as eco-friendly cellulose acetate membranes for organic contaminant removal

Abstract

Cigarette waste is a persistent environmental problem that requires innovative solutions due to the inadequacy of traditional recycling methods. This paper explores the conversion of cigarette butt filters (CBFs) into raw material for cellulose acetate (CA) membrane production. This study prepared two types of membranes: 12% CBF and 12% CA as a control variable. The resulting material was evaluated for its properties and performance as an ultrafiltration membrane for organic contaminant removal. The result demonstrates that the CBF-based membrane exhibits superior characteristics to a CA-based membrane. This improvement is evident in the increased presence of hydroxyl (-OH) groups and enhanced porosity CA 18,37% and CBF 19,66%. Furthermore, the permeability of the CBF membrane has also increased, making it an efficient tool for maintaining humic acid removal CBF 79,02% and CA 66,18% while achieving a high flux ratio recovery CA 65,25 % and CBF 87,97%. The findings in this paper emphasize the promising potential of reusing cigarette waste as an eco-friendly membrane with high humic acid rejection and good antifouling properties.