The endocrine system in an organism is the part of the body that is responsible for the production and movement of hormones. Acting as messengers, it is the function of the hormones to alert different parts of the body to perform specific actions. This vital system has been negatively impacted in peoples around the world, by chemicals called endocrine disruptors. Endocrine disruptors are chemicals, both natural and man-made, that when introduced into an organism’s body, can interfere with the endocrine system, and thus cause damage. This study focused on finding a cost-efficient, reusable, and eco-friendly method of removing these toxic compounds from the environment. The material to be tested is a sponge composed of the non-polar, hydrophobic material: polydimethylsiloxane. Using a sugar template, a mixture of the PDMS material and curing agent, the sponges were formed over a five hour-long period. Once made, before testing with endocrine disruptors, the absorption capacities of these sponges were first evaluated based on fluorescence, using three compounds with a range of polarities: Phenol, Toluene, and Phenanthrene. As these compounds were gradually becoming more non-polar, a greater amount of the compound was absorbed from the solution. Further absorption tests using an Online Solid Phase Extraction Liquid Chromatography-High Resolution Mass Spectrometry (SPE-LC-HRMS) method and 5 targeted compounds found in the lab: Carbamazepine, diclofenac, triclosan, β-estradiol, and 17α-ethynylestradiol will be conducted to evaluate the capability of the sponge before moving onto water samples.<br/>

PDMS Sponge for remediation of endocrine disruptors and pharmaceuticals in water samples from South Florida

2019 Spring National Meeting

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