jailcd2015013: Remediation of Problem Organic Contaminants Using Nanoporous Carbon Composite Materials

Abstract

Water quality sustains our economies and is critical to health, which has given rise to European policies that actively promote sustainable use of water. It is therefore vital to develop technological solutions to minimize water pollution to a level that would not affect humans or the ecosystem. This research addresses the scientific and technological challenge of removing trace polar organic contaminants from water using a new generation of engineered nanomaterials. To that end, polymer-based composites incorporating nanoporous carbon beads have been developed for use in the remediation of surface and ground waters. The incorporation of the particles into macroporous cryogels results in monolithic composite materials (MPPS) which are easy to manipulate, exhibit no leakage of the carbon particles and offer good flow-through properties. This paper presents a study on the remediation of the herbicide atrazine from water using a range of advanced carbon beads and carbon-polymer composite with mean particle size, pore size and specific surface area of 40-250 nm, 270-984 Å and 1057-1939 m2/g, respectively.