Adsorption property and mechanism of polyacrylate-divinylbenzene microspheres for removal of trace organic micropollutants from water

Yingxu Gong; Zhonglin Chen; Lanbo Bi; Jing Kang; Xiaoxiao Zhang; Shengxin Zhao; Yining Wu; Yanbin Tong; Jimin Shen

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.146635

Adsorption property and mechanism of polyacrylate-divinylbenzene microspheres for removal of trace organic micropollutants from water

Sci Total Environ. 2021 Aug 10:781:146635. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.146635. Epub 2021 Mar 20.

Authors

Yingxu Gong¹, Zhonglin Chen¹, Lanbo Bi¹, Jing Kang², Xiaoxiao Zhang¹, Shengxin Zhao¹, Yining Wu¹, Yanbin Tong¹, Jimin Shen³

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resources and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China.
² State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resources and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China. Electronic address: jingkanghit@163.com.
³ State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resources and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China. Electronic address: shenjiminhiter@163.com.

PMID: 33798885
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.146635

Abstract

In this study, polyacrylate-divinylbenzene (PADVB) microspheres were facilely prepared via the precipitation polymerization method, and the microspheres were used as an efficient adsorbent for the removal of trace level organic micropollutants (OMPs) from environmental waters. Preparation conditions of PADVB microspheres were optimized, and the characterizations of the microspheres were performed using a scanning electron microscope (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and N₂ adsorption/desorption isotherms. The microspheres had broad-spectrum adsorption ability for various organic micropollutants containing hydroxy, amidogen, aromatic or heteroaromatic ring in their chemical structure, such as atrazine, 2,4 dichlorophenol, 2,4 dibromophenol, 2,6 dichlorophenol, sulfamethoxazole, estradiol, and bisphenol A. Besides, the effects of initial concentration, initial pH value, adsorption time, and the type of adsorbates on the adsorption performance were investigated systematically. PADVB microspheres could be used for removing trace OMPs from environmental water. Monolayer and homogeneous sorption process occurred on the surface of PADVB microspheres through chemisorption mechanisms. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and FT-IR spectrum of PADVB microspheres before and after adsorption proved that the OMPs adsorption onto PADVB microspheres was mainly due to the formation of the hydrogen bond and π-π electron-donor-acceptor (EDA) interactions. Besides, PADVB microspheres can be recovered for reuse via (low-pressure) microfiltration and could be regenerated sufficiently by using 80% (v/v) ethanol.

Keywords: Adsorption mechanism; Adsorption property; Organic micropollutants; Polymeric microspheres.