Fabrication of oleophobic membrane by modification of cotton fabric with bacterial cellulose nanofiber

Abstract Cellulose nanofiber is frequently used to produce oleophobic membrane, but current methods often use materials derived from pulp wood that require enormous chemicals and processes. To address the problem, SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast) has been reported to be an effective alternative for producing cellulose nanofiber. However, utilizing cellulose nanofiber from SCOBY as oleophobic membrane is still limited. Therefore, this study aims to assess the bacterial cellulose nanofiber (BCNF) from SCOBY as oleophobic membrane. The BCNF was coated on the cellulose fabric and glutaraldehyde or epichlorohydrin as a crosslinker. The results showed that the BCNF coated fabric produced a hydrophilic surface under air (62° ~ 76°) and an oleophobic surface underwater (132° ~ 145°). In addition, the membrane produced was capable of separating oil–water mixture, with a separation efficiency of 99.5% and a flow rate of 302 L m −2 h −1 only by gravitational force.