Reuse of Textile Waste to Production of the Fibrous Antibacterial Membrane with Filtration Potential

Abstract

Wasted synthetic fabrics are a type of textile waste source; the reuse of them brings environmental protection and turns waste into a valuable material. In this work, the used nylon (polyamide) stockings were transmuted into a fine fibrous membrane via an electrospinning process. In addition, the safety antibacterial agent, monoacylglycerol (MAG), was incorporated into a recycled fibrous membrane. The results revealed that the neat, recycled polyamide (rPA) fibers with a hydrophobic surface could be converted into hydrophilic fibers by blending various amounts of MAG with rPA solution prior to electrospinning. The filtration efficiency and air/water vapor permeability of the two types of produced membranes, neat rPA, and rPA/MAG, were tested. Their filtration efficiency (E100) was more than 92% and 96%, respectively. The membranes were classified according to Standard EN1822, and therefore, the membranes rPA and rPA/MAG were assigned to the classes E10 and E11, respectively. The air permeability was not affected by the addition of MAG, and water vapor permeability was slightly enhanced. Based on the obtained data, prepared rPA/MAG fibrous membranes can be evaluated as antifouling against both tested bacterial strains and antimicrobial against S. aureus.

The Research Progress in the Application of Ceramic Nanofibers in Antibacterial Textile Materials

“…The methods of developing antibacterial fiber include the chemical starvation technique, adding antibacterial agent into spinning solution, physical modification technique, and compound spinning technique. Post-finishing processing methods include the microcapsule method, resin finishing method, and surface coating method [ 18 ].…”

Biodegradable Active Packaging Enriched with Essential Oils for Enhancing the Shelf Life of Strawberries

“…(i) It may be related to an expected increased viscosity with the addition of EOs as such structures were occasionally produced at a higher concentration, i.e., at a higher viscosity of electrospun polymer solutions. Authors observed it in studies of PA11 [ 30 ], PA6 [ 31 ], or PLA/PHB [ 32 ]. (ii) The immiscibility of the EOs and the polymer solution can also play a role.…”

Recycling and Reutilizing Polymer Waste via Electrospun Micro/Nanofibers: A Review

“…It is obvious that the common raw materials for electrospinning are polymers, including natural polymers, synthetic polymers, and hybrid blends [ 42 , 43 , 44 ]. Fortunately, most polymeric waste belongs to synthetic polymers such as PET, PS, PA, and so on, which can be easily electrospun into micro/nanofibers with appropriate electrospinning processing conditions [ 25 , 45 , 46 ]. Furthermore, the use of additives (such as nanoparticles) in the raw materials is feasible, leading to a wider range of material choices for recycling and utilizing plastic waste.…”

“…Currently, PA production is continuously growing to satisfy the requirements of applications, resulting in an important proportion of polymer waste [ 128 ]. Compared with recycled PET and EPS, there is less research about recycled PA. Janalikova et al prepared a fibrous antibacterial membrane with recycled PA and monoacylglycerol (MAG) blend by electrospinning, which also showed a filtration potential similar to electrospun PET and PS [ 46 ]. Another study by Arenas et al reported a sustainable nanofibrous sound absorption membrane with recycled PA6 and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) by needleless electrospinning.…”