Highly efficient hydrophobic nanocomposite in the decontamination of micropollutants and bacteria from aqueous wastes: A sustainable approach

Swagata Goswami; Dhiraj Dutta; Lalhmunsiama; Rama Dubey; Diwakar Tiwari; Jinho Jung

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.172546

Highly efficient hydrophobic nanocomposite in the decontamination of micropollutants and bacteria from aqueous wastes: A sustainable approach

Sci Total Environ. 2024 Apr 17:929:172546. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.172546. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Swagata Goswami¹, Dhiraj Dutta², Lalhmunsiama³, Rama Dubey², Diwakar Tiwari⁴, Jinho Jung⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Chemistry, School of Physical Sciences, Mizoram University, Aizawl 796004, India.
² DRL, Post Bag No 02, Tezpur, Assam 784001, India.
³ Department of Industrial Chemistry, School of Physical Sciences, Mizoram University, Aizawl 796004, India.
⁴ Department of Chemistry, School of Physical Sciences, Mizoram University, Aizawl 796004, India. Electronic address: diw_tiwari@yahoo.com.
⁵ Division of Environmental Science and Ecological Engineering, Korea University, 145 Anam-ro, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 02841, South Korea.

PMID: 38636858
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.172546

Abstract

Micro-pollutants (specifically antibiotics and personal care products) and potential bacterial contamination pose a severe threat to human health and marine life. The study derives indigenous novel fibrous hydrophobic nanocomposite, efficient in decontaminating the micro-pollutants (tetracycline (TC) and bisphenol A (BPA)) and potential pathogens (S. pyogenes and E. coli) from aqueous wastes. A facile method synthesizes the fibrous attapulgite (ATP)- poly(4-vinylpyridine-co-styrene) (PVP) framework decorated in situ with the Ag⁰ nanoparticles (ATP@PVP/Ag⁰). A greener method using the Artocarpus heterophyllus leaf extract derives the Ag⁰(NPs). Various analytical methods extensively characterize the materials. A comprehensive study that includes pH, concentration, background electrolytes, and ionic strength reveals the sorptive removal insights of TC and BPA utilizing the ATP@PVP solid. The elimination of tetracycline (TC) and bisphenol A (BPA) agrees well with the pseudo-second-order kinetics. The pH 3.07 and 6.06 favor removing TC and BPA with the capacity of 10.86 mg/g and 17.36 mg/g at 25 °C. The hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interactions predominate the sorption mechanism, and the material shows remarkable stability and reusability in repeated sorption/desorption operations. Similarly, the natural water implications and flow-bed system show fair applicability of solid in decontaminating the TC and BPA in an aqueous medium. Further, the material ATP@PVP/Ag⁰ exhibits very high inhibition of potential pathogens S. pyogenes and E. coli and optimizes the solid dose and solution pH.

Keywords: Bacterial susceptibility; Emerging micropollutants; Fibrous composites; Poly(4-vinylpyridine-co-styrene); Sustainable treatment.