Nowadays, there is a problem associated with the use of dyes in different industries because they generate toxic wastes that can cause ecological problems and health problems in humans such as skin irritations and allergic reactions. For that reason, some researchers presented hydrogels as a new alternative to deal with this problem in an efficient way due to the low costs of fabrication and the potential of being reusable. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the applicability of new hydrogels based on N,N-dimethylacrylamide and 2-oxazoline macromonomer as removal agents of methylene blue dye and also with the particularity that the dimethylacrylamide can self-crosslink without the necessity of employing a conventional crosslinker. Those polymeric materials were structurally characterized by proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) and infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) identifying the presence of the main functional groups. Furthermore, the sensitivity to pH of hydrolyzed hydrogels was tested and we obtained high values of water absorption at basic pH values. In addition to that, we evaluated the different synthesized hydrolyzed hydrogels as adsorbent materials of a variety of methylene blue solutions (with different concentrations) and it was obtained that the hydrolyzed hydrogels showed high values of adsorption capacity (mg/g) owing to the presence of polar carboxylate groups. Finally, it was determined that the adsorption isotherm of the process fit with Freundlich model and it could be related to a physisorption process due to the interaction of the carboxylate groups (COO-) of the hydrogel (specific from macromonomer) and the cationic groups (N+) of the dye.

New methylene blue removal agents based on N,N-dimethylacrylamide and 2-oxazoline macromonomer

2019 Spring National Meeting

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