Efficient Cellulose/Nano‐silver Composite Sheet Derived from Pineapple Leaves for Hydrogen Sulfide Detection

Abstract

Pineapple leaves, a raw agricultural waste biomass material, were used to synthesize microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) through extraction, bleaching, and hydrolysis. Then, the MCC was mixed with different concentrations of silver nitrate solution to create a regenerated cellulose composite sheet loaded with silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and used as a hydrogen sulfide (H2S) detector. The physicochemical properties of the cellulose composite sheet loaded with AgNPs before and after H2S exposure were analyzed using various advanced equipment. The H2S adsorption experiments revealed that the composite sheet underwent a visible change from yellow to brown upon exposure to H2S gas. The range for accurate prediction of the H2S concentration was 20–50 ppm. When temperature in the surroundings of the composite sheet was lower and the H2S gas concentration was higher, the color became darker (dark brown). The relative humidity conditions rarely impacted the sensitivity of color change in the cellulose composite sheet. The stability experiment showed that the cellulose composite sheet had exceptional stability at storage temperatures of 4 and 25 °C for 30 days. This composite sheet mixed with AgNPs has the potential to be used as a gas test strip to detect H2S, such as in food packaging.