Biomass‐Derived Acetylenic Polymer Monoliths Prepared by High Internal Phase Emulsion Template Method and Used for Adsorbing Cationic Pollutants

Abstract

AbstractA new type of biobased porous polymer monolith is prepared starting from biomass, ferulic acid (FA), via high internal phase emulsion (HIPE) template polymerization method. FA is transferred into an acetylenic monomer, which undergoes catalytic HIPE polymerization, eventually forming a porous monolith named as PolyHIPE. The phenolic hydroxyl groups in the monolith are functionalized with sodium hydroxide, forming PolyHIPE‐Na+ and meanwhile transforming the initial hydrophobic monolith into a hydrophilic one. The formation and structure of the monoliths are characterized with Fourier transform infrared (FT‐IR), NMR, and scanning electron microscope (SEM) techniques. The adsorption capacity of the monoliths is further investigated. PolyHIPE‐Na+ exhibits high adsorption capacity toward methylene blue (MB) and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) from simulated wastewater. The adsorption behavior of PolyHIPE‐Na+ is found to fit the pseudo second order kinetic model better. The adsorption isotherm can be well described by the Langmuir isotherm model. The maximum adsorption capacity for MB and CTAB are 1016 and 1390 mg g−1, respectively. The biobased FA derived monolithic adsorbent also shows desirable recycling usability and stability in adsorption−desorption cycles.