Polysaccharide-based Materials for Air and Water Decontamination

Alzate-Sanchez, Diego Mauricio

doi:https://doi.org/10.21985/n2-nebq-zf27

Work

Polysaccharide-based Materials for Air and Water Decontamination

Public

Download PDF

Download All Files (.zip)

Use of bio-renewable polysaccharides to produce materials with a high technological impact has gained a lot of attention recently. Efforts have been made, for example to produce triboelectric generators from cotton, as well as, nanostructures of chitosan gels for drug delivery. Another well-known example is the use of β-Cyclodextrin (β -CD) derivatives to remove organic contaminants from water that are present at very low concentrations. In this thesis, we study approaches ranging from adsorption to hydrolysis for the removal of contaminants from the environment. In chapter 1, we review the different methodologies employed to abate contaminants from water and air, focusing on those that make use of bio-renewable resources. In Chapter 2, we demonstrate a facile strategy to produce granular adsorbents by depositing β-CD polymers onto cellulose microcrystals. Moreover, the developed adsorbent can remove micropollutants (MPs) in a flow setup, without losing its properties after several cycles of adsorption/desorption. In Chapter 3, we expand the functionalization of the cellulose with the β-CD polymer towards cotton fabrics. The modified fabric preserves the mechanical characteristic of a standard cotton fabric, yet it is able to sequester volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from the air. Following the work with fabrics, Chapter 4 presents a rapid and facile strategy to deposit a Metal Organic Framework (MOF) onto cotton fabrics without the use of solvent or specialized equipment. The MOF deposited on the fabric can hydrolyze a nerve agent simulant, demonstrating the applicability of the composite material. In chapter 5, we explore a strategy to produce a completely bio-based crosslinked polymer. Here, we install aldehyde groups in the β-CD that can be condensed with the amino groups in chitosan to form a cross-linked network based on imine linkages. The network forms a dynamic hydrogel that is coupled with polyacrylamide to form a double network hydrogel. The double network hydrogel is more flexible and tougher than the individual components, proving the synergistic effect of the combination of the individual hydrogels.

Creator