The growth of materials demands led to the vast development in industries, responsible for causing water pollution in the past decades. The source and quantity of the contaminants are highly comprehended, but the scientific challenge calls for sustainable technologies to treat the wastewater. The anion-exchange resin of polystyrene derivatives is often utilized for the anionic impurity removal. However, the polymer has low thermal stability, poor biodegradability and non-sustainable due to its monomer depending on petrochemical substances. Recently, an exotic amino acid, 4-aminocinnamic acid (4ACA), has been produced with the fermentation of glucose by the genetically modified Escherichia coli. 4ACA has been reported for its usage in the synthesis of bio-polymers with excellent thermo-mechanical properties. In this research, a novel quaternarized 4,4’ diamino-α-truxillic acid (Q4-ATA), the quaternary derivative of 4ACA was produced. The successful synthesis was confirmed by 1H NMR and ESI-MS. With a series of selected diamine, the monomer was employed for the cationic bio-polyamide (PA-Rx) syntheses. Thereafter, the thermal properties and molecular weight of the polymer were determined. Compared to the commercial grade polystyrene anion-exchange resin, PA-Rx exhibited superior thermal stability with Td10 values well above 290 °C. After testing for anion-exchange ability in the water, the bio-polymer could maintain the removal efficiency at high water temperature. The bio-polyamides represents a new insight in the topic of sustainable alternative water purification technology.

Design and syntheses of bio-based exotic amino acid derived cationic polyamide for the application of water treatment

2019 Fall National Meeting

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