Engineered polyaramides for extraction of bioamines from water

Biogenic amines (BAs) are prevalent in fermented foods, protein-rich meats, and brewed food additives. High concentrations of BAs can induce health issues such as headaches, high blood pressure, and palpitations. Polyaramides (PAs) prepared from the reaction of trimesoyl chloride with ethylene diamine (ED), p-xylene diamine (PXD), and m-xylene diamine (MXD) and characterized using FTIR, XRD, SEM, TGA, and DLS measurements. All PAs were used for the removal of five biogenic amines (i.e., putrescine, spermidine, spermine, tryptamine, and tryptophan) from water. All PAs showed high removal efficiencies for biogenic amines, and the data collected fit well with the Langmuir isotherm and pseudo-second-order kinetic models. Among three different polymers, PA3 showed exceptional adsorption capacities, achieving removal efficiencies of 97.1 ± 0.24% (putrescine), 99 ± 0.68% (spermidine), 99.6 ± 0.23% (spermine), 99 ± 1.68% (tryptamine), and 97 ± 0.08% (tryptophan) at equilibrium. Furthermore, adsorbent regeneration was established via washing with an acid solution, and the removal efficiency was retained after five cycles of repeated washings and extractions. As a proof of concept, the synthesized PAs were used to extract the amines from a decaying fish sample for different periods, which showed 99% adsorption and removal efficiencies. The chemical nature of the extracted BAs was identified using LCMS. Such synthetic polyaramides for removing pollutants from environmental matrices are interesting candidates for developing functional materials.