Malaysian Journal of Analytical Sciences, Vol 28 No 3 (2024): 500 - 511

 

NANOCRYSTALLINE CELLULOSE EXTRACTED FROM DISCARDED CIGARETTE BUTTS

 

(Selulosa Nanokristal yang Diekstrak daripada Sisa Puntung Rokok)

 

Muhammad Hafiz Azlan, Khairatun Najwa Mohd Amin, and Noraziah Abu Yazid*

 

Faculty of Chemical & Process Engineering Technology, Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah, Lebuh Persiaran Tun Khalil Yaakob, 26300 Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia

 

*Corresponding author: noraziahay@umpsa.edu.my

 

 

Received: 3 November 2023; Accepted: 1 April 2024; Published:  29 June 2024

 

 

Abstract

The increase in cigarette consumption has led to significant accumulation of non-degradable cigarette butt (CB) waste worldwide. CBs, though small, contain both cellulose acetate and toxic tobacco substances, posing environmental risks. This includes water pollution and harm to aquatic life by releasing toxins from leachate into waterways. This study addresses the problem by exploring the extraction and hydrolysis of cellulose acetate from discarded CBs, converting it into nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC). Several conditions were examined during this study such as the ratio of water and ethanol for the extraction (1:1, 1:2, 1:3 v/v%) and the efficiency of acid hydrolysis. Analysis techniques including FTIR, TEM, ICP-MS, and XRD were employed. TEM results showed that sample C has the smallest diameter of nanocrystal cellulose with needle-like shape that corresponded to the XRD results that show the highest Crystallinity Index (CI) of 64.8% with 3.66 nm crystallite size. The treatments successfully removed toxic chemicals from the CBs that were not detected in the retained NCC using ICP-MS. The preliminary results obtained open an avenue to reuse the CB to produce environmentally friendly NCC that can be used widely in many applications fields.

 

Keywords: cigarette butts, nanocrystal, cellulose pulp, extraction, cellulose acetate

 

Abstrak

Peningkatan penggunaan rokok telah membawa kepada pengumpulan sisa pepejal rokok yang sukar untuk terurai di seluruh dunia. Walaupun saiz puntung rokok (CB) kecil, tetapi ia mengandungi asetat selulosa dan toksin tembakau yang menyebabkan masalah pencemaran. Ini termasuk pencemaran air yang mengancam kehidupan akuatik kesan daripada pelepasan toksin ke dalam salur air. Kajian ini mengatasi masalah tersebut dengan mengkaji kesan pengekstrakan dan hidrolisis selulosa asetat daripada CB, mengubahnya menjadi selulosa nanokristal (NCC). Beberapa keadaan telah dikaji seperti nisbah air dan etanol untuk pengekstrakan (1:1, 1:2, 1:3 v/v%) dan efisiensi hidrolisis asid. Teknik analisis termasuk FTIR, TEM, ICP-MS, dan XRD digunakan. Hasil TEM menunjukkan sampel C mempunyai diameter selulosa nanokristal terkecil dengan bentuk jarum yang sepadan dengan hasil XRD yang menunjukkan Indeks Kristaliniti (CI) tertinggi iaitu 64.8% dengan saiz kristal 3.66 nm. Rawatan yang dilakukan berjaya mengeluarkan bahan kimia beracun daripada CB yang dikesan menggunakan NCC yang dihasilkan menggunakan ICP-MS. Keputusan awal ini membuka peluang untuk mengguna semula CB untuk menghasilkan NCC mesra alam yang boleh digunakan secara meluas dalam pelbagai bidang aplikasi.

 

Kata kunci: puntung rokok, nanokristal, pulpa selulosa, pengekstrakan, selulosa asetat

 

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