Synthesis and Characterization of THPE-TMC Polymers for Remediation of Nitrates
Board Location: #68
Discipline: Chemistry and Chemical Sciences
Subcategory: Water
Session: 2
Kiarah Richards - Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University
Co-Author(s): Jaela Seldon and Dr. Natalie Arnett
The accumulation of water pollutants and the remediation of water bodies is a significant concern to human wellbeing due to side effects of these contaminants. Polymer research has shown an improvement in different porous organic materials that investigates various efforts to eliminate water pollution for the environment’s safety. Among all techniques for water purification, adsorption is a flexible and significant approach for remediation. Using polymer- based materials as an adsorbent has become a general standard to purify polluted waters. Crucial demands to remediate the water base from several contaminants, like nitrates, have led researchers to utilize polymer-based adsorbents with the ability to adsorb multiple pollutants in a suitable amount of time.The viability of crosslinked polymers prepared from 1,1,1, -Tris(4- hydroxyphenyl) ethane (THPE) and trimesoyl chloride (TMC) via phase transfer interfacial polymerization (PTIP) for nitrate remediation is the focus of this research. The successful confirmation of THPE-TMC chemical structure was verified by ATR-FTIR analysis by the appearance of a characteristic ester band between 1250-1163 cm-1. The addition of THPE-TMC to 100 ppm nitrate solution resulted in a linear decrease in nitrate anions between 1-6 days with complete adsorption of nitrates occurring at day 6. Further analysis to investigate the crosslinked microstructure of THPE-TMC by assessing its porosity and absorption mechanism will be accomplished using SEM and ATR- FTIR, respectively. It is expected that THPE-TMC polymers should yield porous materials with high surface areas and functional groups having a high affinity for nitrates and other ions such as phosphates.
Funder Acknowledgement(s): NSF CREST 2322889
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Natalie Arnett, natalie.arnett@famu.edu
Role: '- Synthesized and characterized the THPE- TMC homopolymers- Performed nitrate remediation on the polymer