Superabsorbent ZnO/rubber-based hydrogel composite for removal and photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue

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A superabsorbent hydrogel was prepared by the free-radical copolymerization of natural rubber (NR) latex with poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) at NR loadings up to 50 wt%. An NR/PAA hydrogel containing 40 wt% of NR (NR-40) had a water absorption capacity of 214 g/g (21,400 %) of its dry weight. The compressive modulus increased 512 % and sample integrity was improved due to the physical entanglement of NR chains. NR-40 hydrogel removed 97 % of methylene blue (MB) from the aqueous solution in 1 h (at initial concentrations of 10–1000 mg/L) and produced a maximum removal of 1191 mg MB/g of hydrogel at an initial MB concentration of 4500 mg/L. The adsorption of MB was an endothermic process. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy indicated that hydrogen bonding and electrostatic interaction drove the process. After the in-situ incorporation of ZnO into NR-40, absorbed energy from sunlight generated active species that could photocatalytically degrade adsorbed MB in the hydrogel matrix. The scavenger tests indicated that superoxide radical anions and hydroxyl radicals were the main species for this process. The hydrogel composite material showed good stability and could be regenerated and reused over 10 cycles, degrading >80 % of the adsorbed dye. This novel natural-based hydrogel provides double functions of adsorption and photodegradation of toxic dyes without the requirement of chemicals and a separation process.