Upcycling of plastic membrane industrial scraps and reuse as sorbent for emerging contaminants in water
Journal article, 2024
Scraps obtained as waste of the industrial production of polysulfone and polysulfone-graphene oxide hollow fiber membranes (PSU-HF and PSU-GO-HF, respectively) were converted into granular materials and used as sorbents of several classes of emerging and standard water contaminants, such as drugs, heavy metal ions, and a mixture of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFASs). The millimetric sized granules (PSU and PSU-GO, respectively) outperformed granular activated carbon (GAC), the industrial sorbent benchmark, in the adsorption of lead, diclofenac, and PFOA from tap water. Adsorption mechanism insight was achieved by molecular dynamics simulations, demonstrating the key role of graphene oxide (GO) on PSU-GO material performance. With respect to GAC, PSU-GO adsorption capacity was two times higher for diclofenac and PFOA and ten times higher for lead. Material safety was assessed by surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy, excluding GO nanosheets leaching, and combined potability test. Overall, our work proves that scrap conversion and reuse is a valuable strategy to reduce plastic industrial waste disposal and to integrate standard technology for enhanced water purification.
Author
Sara Khaliha
Consiglo Nazionale Delle Richerche
Francesca Tunioli
Consiglo Nazionale Delle Richerche
Luca Foti
Consiglo Nazionale Delle Richerche
Antonio Bianchi
Consiglo Nazionale Delle Richerche
Alessandro Kovtun
Consiglo Nazionale Delle Richerche
Tainah Dorina Marforio
University of Bologna
Massimo Zambianchi
Consiglo Nazionale Delle Richerche
C. Bettini
Consiglo Nazionale Delle Richerche
Elena Briñas
University of Castilla, La Mancha
Ester Vazquez
University of Castilla, La Mancha
Letizia Bocchi
MEDICA
Vincenzo Palermo
Consiglo Nazionale Delle Richerche
Chalmers, Industrial and Materials Science, Materials and manufacture
Matteo Calvaresi
University of Bologna
Maria Luisa Navacchia
Consiglo Nazionale Delle Richerche
M. Melucci
Consiglo Nazionale Delle Richerche
Environmental Science: Water Research and Technology
2053-1400 (ISSN) 2053-1419 (eISSN)
Vol. In PressSubject Categories
Environmental Management
Materials Chemistry
DOI
10.1039/d3ew00900a