Microcystin-LR has been reported as one of the main cyanotoxins related to a liver cancer and its abundance in water is constantly monitored. The World Health Organization (WHO) stipules that the maximum concentration in water should be 1 μg/L, but the Environmental Protection Agency reported studies where the measurements in national’s lakes have concentrations between the limit of detection (0.1 μg/L) to 225 μg/L with a mean concentration of 3.0 µg/L.1 The traditional ways of treatment are chlorination, filtrations and ozonating, but this could not always be as effective, especially in blooming seasons.2 Therefore, a need exists to develop feasible methods to remove this toxin from drinking water. Furthermore, the state of Alabama has over 11 million hectares of forest, making it one of the most forest rich states in the country, and valued more than $15.7 billion per year.3 So, to support the State’s economy, the pulp and paper industry plays a key role and is constantly seeking new avenues to grow. The use of cellulose base products as materials for water treatment, can also generate value-added products that are green with the environment, and whose production, use and recycling can reactivate part of the local economy. In this project, we used a cellulose based material modified with cyclic polysaccharide (cyclodextrin) under different conditions and the produced material was used for the recovery of microcystin. The characterization of the modified substrate was performed with FT-IR and SEM; while the recovery uptake (of microcystin) was assessed by QCM-D, spectroscopic measurements, and chromatographic techniques. All in all, we present a sustainable method for water remediation which may pave the way for the new forest-based products.

Cellulose-cyclodextrin co-polymer for removal of microcystin on water remediation

255th National Meeting (2018)

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.