During the last 10 years, the appearance of endocrine disrupter compounds (EDCs) in wastewaters and water resources has become a major concern for public health authorities, the entire industrialized world and the agricultural sector. EDCs are one class of micropollutants capable of interfering with the hormonal system of wildlife and producing developmental, reproductive, neurological, and immune system disruptions. The two most produced synthetic EDCs attracting the attention of the authorities are bisphenol A (BPA, production of 5000 ktons/year) and 4-nonylphenol (NP, production of 225 ktons/year). Because they are widely used (in plastics, construction, paints for BPA, and surfactants washing, textiles for NP), they have been detected at significant concentrations in our environment; potentially leading to endrocinal effects. Since few or no established procedures exist for the removal of EDCs in water or wastewater treatment, this work describes the development of a method involving modified biopolymer (chitosan) particles for the selective capture of EDCs.<br/>Chitosan, an abundant biopolymer derived from industrial food-processing industry waste (crustacean, fungi, etc.), was valorized by preparing particles (beads) via aqueous precipitation. Then, the selective particles were prepared in three synthetic steps. After a first step of surface functionalization, the <i>grafting from</i> RAFT polymerization of 4-vinylpyridine (4VP) allowed the decoration of the particles with well-defined synthetic grafts. Finally, the particles were protected from being dissolved in acidic aqueous media by a crosslinking step.<br/>The ability of these CTS-g-P4VP particles to capture BPA and NP from water was investigated. The particles were dispersed in water for an appropriate time and then settling step led to an easy separation between the beads and the supernatant. Determination of the remaining quantity of BPA and NP after contact with the particles allowed evaluation of the removal efficiency. Finally, the influence of different factors were investigated to determine the optimal conditions for EDCs removal (concentration, time, reuse).

Chitosan biopolymer particles decorated with synthetic polymer for the removal of EDCs by adsorption from water

2019 Fall National Meeting

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