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Cellulose based polyurethane with amino acid functionality: Design, synthesis, computational study and application in
Haneen Abu Rub1, Abdalhadi Deghles2, Othman Hamed1
1Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science, An-Najah National University, P.O. Box 7, Nablus, Palestine.
International Journal of Biological Macromolecules
|April 5, 2023
Summary
Olive industry waste was transformed into novel polyurethane foams for effective toxic metal removal from contaminated water. These adsorbent foams demonstrate high efficiency in capturing lead ions, offering a sustainable solution for environmental remediation.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Environmental Chemistry
- Polymer Chemistry
Background:
- Water contamination by toxic metals poses significant environmental and health risks.
- Industrial activities and natural processes contribute to the release of heavy metals into water bodies.
- Olive industry waste presents a disposal challenge and an underutilized resource.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a novel adsorbent material from olive industry waste for toxic metal removal.
- To synthesize and characterize polyurethane foams (Cell-F-HMDIC and Cell-F-PDIC) for water remediation.
- To evaluate the adsorption efficiency, kinetics, thermodynamics, and mechanism of metal ion binding.
Main Methods:
- Cellulose extracted from olive waste was oxidized and functionalized with amino acids.
- Functionalized cellulose was reacted with hexamethylene diisocyanate and p-phenylene diisocyanate to form polyurethane foams.
- Adsorption experiments were conducted to determine optimal conditions, kinetics, and isotherm models (Langmuir).
- Monte Carlo (MC) and Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations were used to assess lead ion affinity.
Main Results:
- The developed polyurethane foams (Cell-F-HMDIC and Cell-F-PDIC) demonstrated quantitative removal of metal ions from real sewage samples.
- Adsorption kinetics followed a pseudo-second-order rate, and thermodynamics indicated spontaneous binding.
- Experimental adsorption capacities (Qe) were 2.1929 mg/g for Cell-F-PDIC and 2.0345 mg/g for Cell-F-HMDIC.
- Simulations confirmed strong affinity and vigorous interactions between lead ions and the adsorbent surface.
Conclusions:
- The novel polyurethane foams derived from olive waste are effective adsorbents for toxic metal removal.
- The material shows promise for commercial applications in environmental remediation and wastewater treatment.
- Utilizing waste biomass for adsorbent development offers a sustainable approach to pollution control.
