Utilization of Pineapple Peel Waste/ZnO Nanoparticles Reinforcement for Cellulose-Based Nanocomposite Membrane and Its Characteristics

Bacterial cellulose (BC) is a natural substance produced by microorganisms and offers numerous benefits. It can be produced by utilizing biomass waste which is abundantly available through fermentation process. This study investigates the utilization of pineapple peel waste for BC synthesis and observes their properties as nanocomposite membranes after the addition of ZnO nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) as candidate biomaterials for water filtration membranes. The experimental methods were conducted by synthesizing BC using pineapple peel extract using fermentation process. Subsequently, BNC was produced using a high-pressure homogenizer, and ZnO-NPs nanoparticles were added as reinforcement at concentrations of 2.5 wt%, 5.0 wt%, and 7.5wt.%. The mixture was sonicated and subsequently dried in an oven at 60°C for 20 h. BNC/ZnO-NPs membranes were characterized using XRD, FTIR, tensile test, BET, antibacterial test, and SEM analysis. The results indicate that the membrane structure of BNC/ZnO-NPs nanocomposite has peaks at diffraction angles of 14.4°, 15.2°, 16.9°, 22.8°, 31.6°, 34.1° and 36.8°. The addition of ZnO-NPs enhances the crystalline index of BNC by 81.37% at 2.5wt.% ZnO-NPs but reduces the membrane strength due to increasing pore diameter and rougher surface morphology of membrane. Incorporation of ZnO-NPs results in membrane chemical bonding, proved by raising a new peak at wavenumber of 715 cm^{− 1} and reduces the transmittance of hydroxyl group. This showed antibacterial activity against gram-positive bacteria like S.aureus, but they have no effect on gram-negative bacteria like E. coli. This antibacterial activity is good for resisting biofouling and the membrane can be further developed to meet the requirements for field water filtration applications like desalination. Graphical Abstract: (Figure presented.).