Water use has been increasing globally by 1% per year, and recycling and re-use are critical issues compromised by the presence of pollutants. In this context, the design of novel materials and/or procedures for the large scale-removal of pollutants must be economically and environmentally feasible in order to be considered as part of the solution by emerging economies. We demonstrate that the cross-linking of biodegradable polysaccharides such as starch, dextrin, or dextrin and β-cyclodextrin with divinyl sulfone is an innovative strategy for synthesizing insoluble and eco-friendly sorbent polymers, including pSt, pDx and pCD-Dx. The evaluation of these polymers' ability to remove ciprofloxacin (CIP), a prime example of antibiotic pollution, revealed that pSt, with a Kd of 1469 L/kg and a removal rate higher than 92%, is a favorable material. Its sorption is pH-dependent and enhanced at a mildly alkaline pH, allowing for the desorption (i.e., cleaning) and reuse of pSt through an environmentally friendly treatment with 20 mM AcONa pH 4.6. The facts that pSt (i) shows a high affinity for CIP even at high NaCl concentrations, (ii) can be obtained from affordable starting materials, and (iii) is synthesized and regenerated through organic, solvent-free procedures make pSt a novel sustainable material for inland water and seawater remediation, especially in less developed countries, due to its simplicity and low cost.
Keywords: biodegradable polymers; ciprofloxacin; cross-linking; divinyl sulfone; emerging pollutant; sorbent material; water management.