Biodegradable material for the absorption of organic compounds and nanoparticles

Contaminants in water streams, in the form of oily/organic phases or nanoparticles, affect a large variety of activities, from laboratory practice up to environmental systems. To date, a large number of materials for the absorption and retention of these pollutants have been developed. Such materials, however, rarely conjugate high oil uptake, nanoparticle sequestration, biodegradability, and cost effectiveness simultaneously. In this work, we exploited the structural properties of dermal collagen networks and simple chemical manipulations to fabricate an original material that proved effective in separating water from organic and nanoparticulated contaminants. Our material is reusable, biodegradable, safe, and cost-effective and shows a high absorptive capacity of a large variety of organic compounds; it is also able to capture metallic nanoparticles. These features allow our material to effectively separate water from oily/nanoparticulate phases, thus making it an appropriate absorber for chemical processes and environmental protection.