Abstract

A significant problem in ventilating domestic or commercial kitchens is the removal and separation of volatile
compounds which we perceive as strong smells of the sort particularly emitted whilst frying food. In this research, the
feasibility of preparing enriched electrospun cellulose acetate (CA)-based nanofibres containing cone-shaped
molecules of beta-cyclodextrin (β-CD) for the adsorption of the very strong and sharp aldehyde odour of hexanal,
which is a marker for oil and fat oxidation was investigated. A binary solvent system using acetone: DMF (2:1) was
shown to be suitable for solution blending of CA with β-CD. Nanofibrous webs were continuously produced and found
to be substantially free of defects such as beading, producing fibres with the average diameters of 773±50 nm in the
range: 250–1.5μm. Colorimetry was used to show the entrapment of β-CD in the CA structure. The encapsulation
efficiency of β-CD in the fibre structures was typically 85%. FTIR of the electrospun nanofibres examining the
fingerprint region of CA indicating no structural changes in the CA during processing. Our results show that
electrospun CA fibres embedded with β-CD molecules demonstrate enhanced direct adsorption of model odour
material hexanal (up to 80%) indicating feasibility for use in filtration.