A new material which can absorb organic pollutants in water has been found

The emergence of new pollutants in water has prompted the scientific community to study new solutions and alternatives. According to this idea, a team of scientists from the University of Seville recently demonstrated the effectiveness of two new absorption materials, which can eliminate organic pollutants in the solution within less than 24 hours. A new material that can absorb organic pollutants in water has been found.

Specifically, they have evaluated two types of layered silicates: a high charge expandable synthetic mica (na-mica-4) and one obtained by cation exchange with organic functionalized mica (c18-mica-4). Layered silicates are a subclass of silicates, including common minerals in very different environments. The results show that c18-mica-4 material can eliminate most of the pollutants in urban sewage, surface water and drinking water. The study also provides data on the adsorption mechanism, and establishes a significant correlation between the physicochemical properties of the selected standard and the physicochemical properties of the emerging pollutants and the adsorption of the materials.

A total of 18 organic pollutants were studied, including industrial pollutants, personal care products, anti-inflammatory drugs, Antibiotics, antiepileptic drugs, central nervous system stimulants, lipid-lowering agents and other pharmacological active ingredients. Among the industrial pollutants, several compounds often used as cleaning products and other compounds used as water and oil displacement agents are analyzed. Taking personal care products as an example, two kinds of synthetic preservatives, methyl p-benzene and propyl p-benzene, which are widely used in cosmetics and drugs, were analyzed. At last, 9 effective pharmacological components (diclofenac, ibuprofen, salicylic acid, trimetazidine, carbamazepine, propranolol, Caffeine, chloramphenicol and gemfibrozil) were detected.

With different therapeutic effects, these eventually contaminate our water, basically, through human excretion. The study studied untreated urban wastewater, treated urban wastewater, surface water from rivers and drinking water. "Studies like this, as well as other similar studies, show the potential of some adsorbent materials in the treatment of different types of polluted water." "The main goal of this research area is to obtain universal materials with high removal capacity that can be used for a wide range of pollutants," said Esteban Alonso, a professor at the University of Seville who led the research project Research in this area will take the following steps: To evaluate the role of these materials in eliminating other water pollutant families, their industrial scale application, and improve the function of the materials themselves.