An assessment of an enzymatic system for the degradation of cellulose acetate

Abstract

The degradation of cellulose acetate, a widely used polymer in various applications like cigarette filters and textiles, has gained significant attention due to its environmental impact and potential for sustainable waste management. This dissertation explores the enzymatic catalysis approach for the degradation of cellulose acetate, aiming to understand the underlying mechanisms and optimize the process for efficient degradation. The methodology involved the degradation of cellulose acetate by catalysing the hydrolysis of the ester bonds, thereby removing the acetate groups. It also involved the breaking of β-1,4 glycosidic linkages between each glucose ring. The analyses involved screening with dynamic light scattering, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy. The degradation procedure was optimized accordingly to the analysis techniques in order to remove any unwanted impurities that may interfere with the final results. It was concluded that indeed the removal of the acetate groups and β-1,4 glycosidic linkages did occur, as observed in both FT-IR and Raman spectroscopy while dynamic light scattering offered no insight. However, due to the lack of more sensitive equipment, the extent to which the degradation has occurred is not known. While this study shows that enzymatic catalysis was able to break down cellulose acetate into smaller fragments and remove the acetate groups, further research is needed using more sensitive apparatus and variations in enzyme concentrations.