ABSTRACT

Air pollution represents a growing challenge to human health, particularly due to exposure to ultrafine particles associated with respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. In this context, nanotechnology has become established as an effective approach for the development of advanced pollution control solutions, especially through the use of nanostructured materials applied to air filtration. Consequently, the development of high-efficiency filter media based on sustainable, renewable, and nanostructured materials has become a priority. This work presents the development of nanostructured air filtration membranes produced by electrospinning of cellulose acetate nanofibers derived from sugarcane bagasse, an agro-industrial residue widely available in Brazil. Cellulose acetate obtained from sugarcane bagasse was characterized and compared with commercial cellulose acetate using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and chemical analyses, confirming the preservation of the main functional groups and differences in crystallinity degree. Due to rheological limitations observed in the residual material, polymer solutions were developed in the form of blends, and the composition containing 70% bagasse-derived cellulose acetate and 30% commercial cellulose acetate was selected. This composition was further analyzed morphologically by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The nanofibers were produced by electrospinning using a dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and acetone solvent mixture at a 3:2 ratio. The electrospinning parameters employed were a flow rate of 0.8 mL·h⁻¹, a needle-to-collector distance of 10 cm, and an applied voltage ranging from 15 to 18 kV. The resulting nanostructured mats were evaluated for aerosol filtration performance using a scanning mobility particle sizer (SMPS) and a condensation particle counter (CPC). The tests were conducted at the Environmental Control Laboratory of the Department of Chemical Engineering at the Federal University of São Carlos, covering particle diameters from 5 to 250 nm. The best performance was observed for the blend containing 70% bagasse-derived ...