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Porous inverse vulcanised polymers for mercury capture.
T Hasell1, D J Parker1, H A Jones1
1Department of Chemistry, University of Liverpool, Crown Street, Liverpool, L69 7ZD, UK. t.hasell@liv.ac.uk.
Chemical Communications (Cambridge, England)
|March 3, 2016
Summary
Supercritical carbon dioxide treatment creates porous structures in inverse vulcanised polymers. This novel material demonstrates significant potential for effective mercury capture and water filtration applications.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Environmental Engineering
- Polymer Chemistry
Background:
- Mercury contamination in water poses significant environmental and health risks.
- Developing efficient and cost-effective methods for mercury removal is crucial.
- Macroporous materials offer high surface area for adsorption applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the use of supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) for creating macroporosity in inverse vulcanised polymers.
- To evaluate the performance of these macroporous polymers in capturing mercury from water.
- To assess the potential of this material for water filtration.
Main Methods:
- Inverse vulcanised polymers were synthesized.
- Supercritical carbon dioxide was employed as a porogen to introduce macropores.
- The resulting porous structure was characterized.
- Mercury adsorption and filtration experiments were conducted.
Main Results:
- Macroporosity was successfully generated in the inverse vulcanised polymer using scCO2.
- The macroporous polymer exhibited high capacity for mercury capture.
- Effective filtration of mercury from water was demonstrated.
Conclusions:
- Supercritical carbon dioxide is an effective method for creating macroporous inverse vulcanised polymers.
- These materials show excellent promise for enhanced mercury capture and filtration from water.
- This approach offers a potential solution for environmental remediation of mercury-contaminated water.
