The occurrence of organic pollutants, such as industrial by-products, pesticides and pharmaceuticals in water resources has raised concerns about their negative effects on aquatic ecosystems and human health. Traditional water treatment technologies are becoming ineffective and thus new materials must be developed to remove these organic pollutants. Polymer based materials are one promising approach. Previous research has shown that block co-polymers prepared from δ-decalactone and L-lactide act as sponges to remove organic materials from aqueous environments. In this presentation, the synthesis of a family of novel block co-polymers from δ-decalactone and DL-lactide is reported. The ability of these polymers to remove organic pollutants from water was tested using fluoranthene, a representative from the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) class of environmental pollutants. Fluorescence spectroscopy studies indicate that the polymers successfully removed fluoranthene from water. The molar ratio of monomers used in the polymerization reaction was then varied to determine the optimum ratio for remediating trace levels of PAH pollutants.

Preparation and characterization of novel biorenewable polymers for removing organic pollutants from aqueous environments

254th National Meeting (2017)

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