Valorization of Textile Waste into Mosquito Repellent Cellulose Citronellal Fiber Using Natural H-Zeolite Catalyst: Towards a Circular Bioeconomy Approach

Abstract

Mosquito-borne diseases such as malaria, dengue, chikungunya, and Zika remain major global health threats. At the same time, the rapid growth of the textile industry generates large volumes of textile waste, most of which is disposed of in landfills due to limited recycling pathways. This study explores the valorization of cotton-based textile waste into functional biomaterials within a circular bioeconomy framework, using Indonesia as a case study due to its abundant textile waste, citronella biomass resources, and natural zeolite deposits. Cellulose was extracted from textile waste through acid hydrolysis using citric acid. Citronellal was isolated from citronella oil by fractional distillation. Natural zeolite was activated through acid treatment, ion exchange, and calcination to produce an H-Zeolite catalyst. The recovered cellulose was then reacted with citronellal through a condensation reaction in the presence of the H-Zeolite catalyst to synthesize cellulose-citronellal fibers. The materials were characterized using FTIR, SEM, and XRD. The results show that acid activation and ion exchange significantly increased the acidity of the natural zeolite catalyst, reaching an acidity degree of 1.382, indicating the formation of Brønsted acid sites suitable for catalytic reactions. Structural analysis confirmed that the zeolite crystalline framework remained stable after activation. Cellulose recovered from textile waste exhibited morphological and functional group characteristics similar to commercial cellulose. FTIR analysis of the synthesized materials indicated successful incorporation of citronellal into the cellulose matrix, suggesting the formation of cellulose-citronellal fibers with potential mosquito repellent properties. From a circular bioeconomy perspective, this approach demonstrates a potential pathway for converting textile waste into higher-value bio-based functional materials using renewable biomass resources and mineral catalysts. The findings highlight a resource-based circular bioeconomy pathway that is particularly relevant for tropical countries and may be replicated in regions with similar biomass availability and vector-borne disease challenges