Posted by Water pollution by major human activities leading to clean water scarcity is a significant issue, and in this regard, the release of industrially related pollutants, such as textile dyes and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) to the environment pollutes the water resources and endanger the marine ecosystem and human health.
To address this serious threat, Gyorgy Szekely and colleagues developed a hyperbranched cyclodextrin (CD) membrane by the electrospinning of highly concentrated CD solutions containing a naturally occurring graphitic acid linker. The membrane could scavenge textile dyes and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from artificially polluted water. The membrane’s sorption capacity was very high (Qmax = 692 mg g-1) and could be recycled with acidic methanol treatment. Molecular modeling revealed that the CD cavity is still accessible for complexation after cross-linking. Because of green resources used in the membrane fabrication, this nanofibrous sorbent is a promising environmentally benign material for water treatment, particularly the removal of water micropollutants.
Read more:
F. Topuz, T. Holtzl, G. Szekely, Scavenging organic micropollutants from water with nanofibrous hypercrosslinked cyclodextrin membranes derived from green resources, Chem. Eng. J. (2021) 129443, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2021.129443
Image credit: Heno Hwang @KAUST
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