Sustainable Biomass-based Filter for High-efficiency PM 0.3 Filtration

Abstract Low-value biomass materials recently can be widely used in various important industry to achieve a carbon-neutral sustainable society. To transform low-value agricultural wastes into structural materials, here we show a heterogeneous corn-based precursor technique, to self-assemble two-dimensional fabrics consisted of alternating fibers with micro- and nano-architectures. The unique solute-solvent system involves zein protein, combined with cellulose extracted from corn straw, to achieve the greenness of the production, fabrication and filtration. Manipulation of the ambient humidity and addition of the cellulose nanofibers enable a novel incomplete nonsolvent-induced phase separation, leading to a corn-based degradable and disposable sanitary filter with dual-network structure which exceeds that of typical or commercial filters. Moreover, the mechanism of full-structure filtration for particulate pollutant as well as excellent adsorption for formaldehyde is demonstrated, providing a promising pathway to green and sustainability for biomass waste.