Biomimetic Adsorptive Composites for Redox Remediation of Organic Pollutants

Abstract

Conductive hydrogels have gained interest as responsive materials for pollutant sensing and degradation in a variety of applications such as wastewater and soil remediation. There has been a significant increase in both commercial and domestic wastewater, which is output into ground sources, acting as a leading contaminant for surrounding communities. Specifically, cationic organic textile dyes such as methylene blue, methyl red, and methyl violet which are known monoamine oxidase inhibitors are prevalent pollutants. To improve remediation, this work employs a biopolymeric (i.e. polysaccharide) matrix to aid in non-covalent adsorption of pollutants to the network. Additionally, modification of the polysaccharide backbone with a conductive polymer can promote electron transfer throughout the matrix. This work employs the photoinitiation of a metal-polysaccharide complex to directly polymerize polyaniline (PANI) on the polysaccharide backbone. The PANI-functionalized composite can be utilized as a reducing substrate for the adsorptive redox remediation of the organic pollutants that occur in contaminated soils or water supplies.