Preparation and application of cellulose triacetate microspheres

Cellulose triacetate was prepared via reacting of a mixture of acetic anhydride and acetic acid containing sulfuric acid as catalyst with ramie fiber obtained from a biomass of ramie. The cellulose triacetate with a degree of substitution (DS) 2.93 of the ramie fiber was obtained. The honeycomb-like cellulose triacetate microspheres with an average diameter of 14 μm were made from the cellulose triacetate solution. The optimum conditions for preparing the microspheres were determined as cellulose triacetate/dichloromethane ratio 1:7 (w/w), and 0.75% sodium dodecylsulfonate. The cellulose triacetate microspheres were characterized using FT-IR, NMR, XRD, and SEM. Application of the microspheres as an adsorbent for removing disperse dyes in water was investigated under the temperatures from 15 to 50 °C, pHs from 4 to 9, and the weight of cellulose triacetate microspheres from 0.03 to 0.09 g. The cellulose triacetate microspheres exhibited a 16.5 mg/g capability to remove DR dye from water at 50 °C and pH 7.