Removal of metal ions from water using nanohydrogel tragacanth gum-g-polyamidoxime: isotherm and kinetic study

Appraisal of the adsorption potential of novel modified gellan gum nanocomposite for the confiscation of methylene blue and malachite green

In the present investigation a novel, environmentally affable and economical, modified gellan gum nanocomposite (MAA-g-GG/Ppy/MMT) was fabricated via free-radical polymerization for the liquid-phase mitigation of Methylene blue (MB) and Malachite green (MG) dyes. The innovation of this work is substantiated by the intentional combination of diverse materials, the strategic incorporation of polypyrrole for enhanced adsorption, and the thoughtful addition of MMT as a nanofiller to address mechanical strength and improve adsorption capacity. The physico-chemical facets of MAA-g-GG/Ppy/MMT and its interaction with the dye molecules were elucidated using FT-IR, SEM-EDX, BET, TEM, and XRD techniques. The optimum conditions for the sorption of MB and MG were deemed to be dosage (1.2 g/L for both dyes), contact time (50 min for both dyes), initial MG/MB concentration (MB = 40 mg/L & MG = 30 mg/L), and pH (MB = 10 & MG = 7). The Freundlich isotherm was identified as the most suitable model, as evidenced by the highest R2 value (∼0.999), indicating multilayer adsorption. The pseudo second-order model appraised the kinetic data. Thermodynamic findings revealed the adsorption process to be spontaneous, viable and exothermic which was ascertained by negative ∆H⸰ values (-22.8 kJ/mol for MB and -18.3 kJ/mol for MG). The substantial Langmuir adsorption capacity (Qm: MG =185.185; MB = 344.827) can be ascribed to the reason for strong interactions between MAA-g-GG/Ppy/MMT and dyes. The high reliability of MAA-g-GG/Ppy/MMT was determined by the regeneration studies that worked up to four cycles for both dyes. The real water (distilled water, tap water, and river water) samples spiked with MG/MB demonstrated a substantial uptake of dyes (>85 %) and the marginal influence of ionic strength on the adsorptive potential of MAA-g-GG/Ppy/MMT validated its efficacy for the decontamination of real effluents. The forces of attraction between the dyes and MAA-g-GG/Ppy/MMT included van der Waals, electrostatic forces of attraction, and π-π interaction. This green, economical, and viable MAA-g-GG/Ppy/MMT will prove to be an efficient adsorbent for the decontamination process of sequestration of dyes to achieve a sustainable environment.

Advances in gum-based hydrogels and their environmental applications

Gum-based hydrogels (GBHs) have been widely employed in diverse water purification processes due to their environmental properties, and high absorption capacity. More desired properties of GBHs such as biodegradability, biocompatibility, material cost, simplicity of manufacture, and wide range of uses have converted them into promising materials in water treatment processes. In this review, we explored the application of GBHs to remove pollutants from contaminated waters. Water resources are constantly being contaminated by a variety of harmful effluents such as heavy metals, dyes, and other dangerous substances. A practical way to remove chemical waste from water as a vital component is surface adsorption. Currently, hydrogels, three-dimensional polymeric networks, are quite popular for adsorption. They have more extensive uses in several industries, including biomedicine, water purification, agriculture, sanitary products, and biosensors. This review will help the researcher to understand the research gaps and drawbacks in this field, which will lead to further developments in the future.

Lignin-facilitated growth of Ag/CuNPs on surface-activated polyacryloamidoxime nanofibers for superior antibacterial activity with improved biocompatibility

INTRODUCTION

Nanofibers are one of the role-playing innovations of nanotechnology. Their high surface-to-volume ratio allows them to be actively functionalized with a wide range of materials for a variety of applications. The functionalization of nanofibers with different metal nanoparticles (NPs) has been studied widely to fabricate antibacterial substrates to battle antibiotic-resistant bacteria. However, metal NPs show cytotoxicity to living cells, thereby restricting their application in biomedicine.

OBJECTIVES

To minimize the cytotoxicity of NPs, biomacromolecule lignin was employed as both a reducing and capping agent to green synthesize silver (Ag) and copper (Cu) NPs on the surface of highly activated polyacryloamidoxime nanofibers. The activation of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofibers via amidoximation was employed for enhanced loading of NPs to achieve superior antibacterial activity.

METHODOLOGY

At first, electrospun PAN nanofibers (PANNM) were activated to produce polyacryloamidoxime nanofibers (AO-PANNM) by immersing PANNM in a solution of Hydroxylamine hydrochloride (HH) and Na₂CO₃ under controlled conditions. Later, Ag and Cu ions were loaded by immersing AO-PANNM in different molar concentrations of AgNO₃ and CuSO₄ solutions in a stepwise manner. The reduction of Ag and Cu ions into NPs to fabricate bimetal-coated PANNM (BM-PANNM) was carried out via alkali lignin at 37 °C for 3 h in a shaking incubator with ultrasonication every 1 h.

RESULTS

AO-APNNM and BM-PANNM hold their nano-morphology except for some changes in fiber orientation. XRD analysis demonstrated the formation of Ag and CuNPs as evident from their respective spectral band. Maximum 8.46 ± 0.14 wt% and 0.98 ± 0.04 wt% Ag and Cu species were loaded on AO-PANNM, respectively as revealed by ICP spectrometric analysis. The hydrophobic PANNM turned into super hydrophilic, having WCA of 14 ± 3.32° after amidoximation which further reduced to 0° for BM-PANNM. However, the swelling ratio of PANNM reduced from 13.19 ± 0.18 g/g to 3.72 ± 0.20 g/g for AO-PANNM. Even at the third cycle test against S. aureus strains, 0.1Ag/Cu-PANNM, 0.3Ag/Cu-PANNM, and 0.5Ag/Cu-PANNM displayed bacterial reduction of 71.3 ± 1.64 %, 75.2 ± 1.91 %, and 77.24 ± 1.25 %, respectively. On 3rd cycle test against E. coli, above 82 % bacterial reduction was noticed for all BM-PANNM. Amidoximation increased COS-7 cell viability up to 82 %. The cell viability of 0.1Ag/Cu-PANNM, 0.3Ag/Cu-PANNM, and 0.5Ag/Cu-PANNM was found to be ~68 %, ~62, and 54 %, respectively. In LDH assay, almost no release of LDH was detected, suggesting the compatibility of the cell membrane in contact with BM-PANNM. The improved biocompatibility of BM-PANNM even at higher loading (%) of NPs must be ascribed to the controlled release of metal species in the early stage, antioxidant, and biocompatible lignin capping of NPs.

CONCLUSIONS

BM-PANNM displayed superior antibacterial activity against E. coli and S. aureus bacterial strains and acceptable biocompatibility of COS-7 cells even at higher loading (%) of Ag/CuNPs. Our findings suggest that BM-PANNM can be used as a potential antibacterial wound dressing and other antibacterial applications where sustained antibacterial activity is needed.

Polysaccharide-based biopolymer hydrogels for heavy metal detection and adsorption

BACKGROUND

With rapid development in agriculture and industry, water polluted with heavy metallic ions has come to be a serious problem. Adsorption-based methods are simple, efficient, and broadly used to eliminate heavy metals. Conventional adsorption materials have the problems of secondary environmental contamination. Hydrogels are considered effective adsorbents, and those prepared from biopolymers are biocompatible, biodegradable, non-toxic, safe to handle, and increasingly used to adsorb heavy metal ions.

AIM OF REVIEW

The natural origin and easy degradability of biopolymer hydrogels make them potential for development in environmental remediation. Its water absorption capacity enables it to efficiently adsorb various pollutants in the aqueous environment, and its internal pore channels increase the specific surface area for adsorption, which can provide abundant active binding sites for heavy metal ions through chemical modification.

KEY SCIENTIFIC CONCEPT OF REVIEW

As the most representative of biopolymer hydrogels, polysaccharide-based hydrogels are diverse, physically and chemically stable, and can undergo complex chemical modifications to enhance their performance, thus exhibiting superior ability to remove contaminants. This review summarizes the preparation methods of hydrogels, followed by a discussion of the main categories and applications of polysaccharide-based biopolymer hydrogels.

Synthesis of Biomass-Derived Activated Carbons and Their Immobilization on Alginate Gels for the Simultaneous Removal of Cr(VI), Cd(II), Pb(II), As(III), and Hg(II) from Water

Low-cost alginate gels of activated carbons were prepared, which were derived from the peels of banana and sweet lime. The synthesized carbon was activated and immobilized on alginate, producing its gel. These gels were categorized according to their methods of drying, in which air drying, freeze drying, and supercritical drying led to the formation of xerogels, cryogels, and aerogels, respectively. The gels were used for adsorption of heavy metals from their aqueous solution. The heavy metals that were targeted for removal were Pb(II), Cd(II), Cr(VI), As(III), and Hg(II). Among all the adsorbents, the alginate cryogel of sweet lime-derived activated carbon (SLACC) showed the highest removal percentage of heavy metals, and thus, it was used for batch study. The adsorption of heavy metals by SLACC was checked at different times, pH values, adsorbent doses, temperatures, and adsorbate concentrations. The study revealed that the pseudo-second-order model best described the kinetic study, while the adsorption followed the Freundlich isotherm. SLACC showed maximum adsorption capacities (q _cal) of 3.71, 4.22, 20.04, 7.31, and 4.37 mg/g for Cr, Cd, Pb, As, and Hg, respectively, when 20 mg of SLACC was used for the removal of 4 ppm concentration of the targeted heavy metals from their 20 mL solution. Based on the thermodynamic study, it was found that the adsorption was spontaneous and exothermic. Furthermore, the adsorbent was also used on real water samples and showed up to 90% removal efficiency for these targeted heavy metals. SLACC was regenerated with 0.1 M ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) solution and reused for five cycles, in which the percentage removal of heavy metals was more than 50% till the fourth cycle. Furthermore, the leaching study showed that no toxic elements had leached from SLACC into water, making it a safe adsorbent.

Hydrogel Beads of Amidoximated Starch and Chitosan as Efficient Sorbents for Inorganic and Organic Compounds

The synthesis of hydrogel beads involving natural polymers is, nowadays, a leading research area. Among natural polymers, starch and chitosan represent two biomolecules with proof of efficiency and low economic impact in various utilization fields. Therefore, herein, the features of hydrogel beads obtained from chitosan and three sorts of starch (potato, wheat and rise starches), grafted with acrylonitrile and then amidoximated, were deeply investigated for their use as sorbents for heavy metal ions and dyes. The hydrogel beads were prepared by ionotropic gelation/covalent cross-linking of chitosan and functionalized starches. The chemical structure of the hydrogel beads was analyzed by FT-IR spectroscopy; their morphology was revealed by optical and scanning electron microscopies, while the influence of the starch functionalization strategies on the crystallinity changes was evaluated by X-ray diffraction. Molecular dynamics simulations were used to reveal the influence of the grafting reactions and grafted structure on the starch conformation in solution and their interactions with chitosan. The sorption capacity of the hydrogel beads was tested in batch experiments, as a function of the beads’ features (synthesis protocol, starch sort) and simulated polluted water, which included heavy metal ions (Cu²⁺, Co²⁺, Ni²⁺ and Zn²⁺) and small organic molecules (Direct Blue 15 and Congo red).

Adsorption isotherm models: A comprehensive and systematic review (2010-2020)

Among numerous methods developed in purification and separation industries, the adsorption process has received considerable attention due to its inexpensive, facile, and eco-friendly nature. The importance of the adsorption process causes extraordinary endeavors for modeling the adsorption isotherms during the years; thus, myriads of research have been conducted and many reviews have been published. In this paper, we have attempted to gather the most widely used adsorption isotherms and their related definitions, along with examples of correlated work of the recent decade. In the present review, 37 adsorption isotherms with about 400 references have been collected from the research published in the period of 2010-2020. The adsorption isotherms utilized are alphabetically organized for ease of access. The parameters of each isotherm, as well as the applicable definitions, are presented in the table, in addition to being discussed in the text. Another table is provided for the practical use of researchers, featuring the usage of the related isotherms in peer-reviewed studies.

Efficient remediation of chlorpyrifos pesticide from contaminated water by superparamagnetic adsorbent based on Arabic gum-grafted-polyamidoxime

A novel organic/inorganic biosorbent hydrogel nanocomposite based on Arabic Gum-grafted-polyamidoxime and CuFe₂O₄ magnetic nanoparticles (AG-g-PAO/CuFe₂O₄) was prepared in three steps. The prepared hydrogel nanocomposite was well characterized using Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), CHN, zeta potential, and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analyses. The adsorption efficiency of the AG-g-PAO/CuFe₂O₄ for removing an organophosphorus pesticide (OPP) (chlorpyrifos) from aqueous solutions was studied. Effect of different experimental conditions such as the pH of the solution, adsorbent dosage, contact time, initial concentration on adsorption efficiency was evaluated. The experimental adsorption data described well by the Langmuir isotherm model and the maximum adsorption capacity (Q_max) of the prepared biosorbent for chlorpyrifos was found 769.23 mg/g. The adsorption kinetic data were well fitted by the pseudo-second-order model. It was suggested that the chlorpyrifos was adsorbed onto AG-g-PAO/CuFe₂O₄ hydrogel biosorbent mainly through electrostatic interaction and hydrogen bonding. The result of adsorption-desorption experiments revealed that the AG-g-PAO/CuFe₂O₄ can be excellently regenerated and reused after three sequential runs without a considerable decline in its adsorption performance.

Carbohydrate biopolymers, lignin based adsorbents for removal of heavy metals (Cd2+, Pb2+, Zn2+) from wastewater, regeneration and reuse for spent adsorbents including latent fingerprint detection: A review

Living organisms are created by carbohydrate biopolymers such as chitosan, carboxymethyl cellulose, alginate and lignin. These carbohydrate biopolymers have been extensively used for environmental applications because they are bio-degradable, bio-compatible, non-toxic and inexpensive. Recently, carbohydrate biopolymers have been used to prepare different nanocomposite adsorbents for treatment of wastewater. These adsorbents explored the removal effectiveness of inorganic pollutants from aqueous solution. This review article discusses the synthesis and application of chitosan, carboxymethyl cellulose, alginate and lignin nanocomposites as adsorbents for heavy metals. Toxic metals can be efficiently absorbed by cross-linkers, distributed in aqueous solutions of divalent heavy metal ions to examine their polymer absorption capacity. These nanocomposites were used for the adsorption of highly toxic metals such as Cd2+, Pb2+ and Zn2+ in water. To make heavy metal ion uptake more effective, more functionalization has been implemented such as blending, grafting, or mixing with different nanomaterials with an extra functional group. The integration of the second part into the main polymer chain not only adds functionality but also increases mechanical efficiency, one of the core criteria for adsorbent recyclability. The remediation method of metal ions from wastewater is cheaper as long as the adsorbent is reused. Furthermore, they exhibited good performance for the reuse of spent adsorbents after adsorption-desorption processes including latent fingerprint detection with nanomaterials by using the powder dusting method. Chitosan, carboxymethyl cellulose, alginate and lignin based nanocomposites have demonstrated better adsorption activities due to great physical and chemical properties for the chelation of heavy metals such as Cd2+, Pb2+ and Zn2+ from water and also higher regeneration with various eluents after several desorption-adsorption cycles. In addition, reuse of the spent adsorbents in latent fingerprint detection with different nanomaterials is discussed. Finally, this review article makes recommendations for future studies in light of environmentally favourable and economical applications.

High effective removal of diazinon from aqueous solutions using the magnetic tragacanth-montmorillonite nanocomposite: isotherm, kinetic, and mechanism study

Health and environmental impact of pesticide contamination of groundwater has been reported repeatedly in many studies. The removal of diazinon from agricultural wastewater is still of great interest due to using widely in many developing countries. In the presented study, the magnetic tragacanth-montmorillonite nanocomposite was utilized as an adsorbent to remove diazinon from an aqueous solution. The adsorbent properties were characterized using FE-SEM, EDX, FTIR, XRD, BET, and VSM techniques. The influence of adsorbent dosage, pH, contact time, and initial concentration of diazinon was studied in a batch system. Different adsorption kinetics and isotherm models were used to describe the kinetic and equilibrium data. The results indicated that the adsorption kinetic was fitted better with a Elovich kinetic model, and the adsorption isotherm was well described by the Langmuir-Freundlich model, and the maximum adsorption capacity was 416 mg g^-1. According to Weber and Morris's model and Boyd plot, the results demonstrated that the adsorption kinetic was controlled simultaneously by film diffusion and intraparticle diffusion. Besides, a thermodynamic study showed that the removal of diazinon is an endothermic process. Considering the results, magnetic tragacanth-montmorillonite nanoadsorbent has a high capability to remove diazinon from aqueous solution.

Gum Tragacanth (GT): A Versatile Biocompatible Material beyond Borders

The use of naturally occurring materials in biomedicine has been increasingly attracting the researchers’ interest and, in this regard, gum tragacanth (GT) is recently showing great promise as a therapeutic substance in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. As a polysaccharide, GT can be easily extracted from the stems and branches of various species of Astragalus. This anionic polymer is known to be a biodegradable, non-allergenic, non-toxic, and non-carcinogenic material. The stability against microbial, heat and acid degradation has made GT an attractive material not only in industrial settings (e.g., food packaging) but also in biomedical approaches (e.g., drug delivery). Over time, GT has been shown to be a useful reagent in the formation and stabilization of metal nanoparticles in the context of green chemistry. With the advent of tissue engineering, GT has also been utilized for the fabrication of three-dimensional (3D) scaffolds applied for both hard and soft tissue healing strategies. However, more research is needed for defining GT applicability in the future of biomedical engineering. On this object, the present review aims to provide a state-of-the-art overview of GT in biomedicine and tries to open new horizons in the field based on its inherent characteristics.

Synthesis and fabrication of antibacterial hydrogel beads based on modified-gum tragacanth/poly(vinyl alcohol)/Ag0 highly efficient sorbent for hard water softening

In the current study, hard water softening for the removal of Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺ ions was performed using hydrogel beads based on Gum Tragacance (GT) modified by using 2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid (AMPS) and poly(vinyl alcohol). The antibacterial spherical hydrogel beads were fabricated by instantaneous gelation of well dispersed mixture of poly(AMPS)-g-GT (1 g), poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA, 1 g) flocculent, green-synthesized silver metal nanoparticles (AgNPs, 10 mg), and graphene oxide (GO, 10 mg) in the acetone solution of boric acid and then transferring into the different amounts (0.5-2.5 mL) of acidic solution of glutaraldehyde (GA) as cross-linker. The beads were fully characterized and their adsorption behavior matched well with the pseudo-second-order kinetic and the Langmuir isotherm models with the maximum adsorption of Ca²⁺(114.18 mg g^-1) and Mg²⁺(162.46 mg g^-1). The removal ability of the beads decreased by 6% after four adsorption/desorption cycles. The antibacterial performance of the hydrogel beads was also investigated against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria.

Preparation, uranium (VI) absorption and reuseability of marine fungus mycelium modified by the bis-amidoxime-based groups

Bis-amidoxime-based claw-like-functionalized marine fungus material (ZZF51-GPTS-DCDA-AM) was prepared for study to absorb the low concentration uranium (VI) from aqueous solution. A series of characterization methods such as SEM, TGA and FT-IR were applied for the functionalized materials before and after modification and adsorption. The experimental results suggested that the amidoxime groups were successfully grafted onto the surface of mycelium powder and provided the special binding sites for the absorption of uranium (VI). In the absorption research, uranium (VI) initial concentration, pH and equilibrium time were optimized as 40 mg L−1, 6.0, and 110 min by L4 3 orthogonal experiment, respectively, and the maximum absorption capacity of the prepared material was 370.85 mg g−1 under the optimum batch conditions. After five cycling process, the desorption rate and regeneration efficiency of the modified mycelium were found to be 80.29 % and 94.51 %, respectively, which indicated that the material had an adequately high reusability property as a cleanup tool. The well known Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm adsorption model fitting found that the modified materials had both monolayer and bilayer adsorption to uranium (VI) ions. Simultaneously, the pseudo-second-order model was better to illustrated the adsorption kinetics process. The enhanced adsorption capacity of uranium (VI) by the modified fungus materials over raw biomass was mainly owing to the strong chelation of amidoxime groups and uranium (VI) ions.

Recent progress in the industrial and biomedical applications of tragacanth gum: A review

Natural polymers have distinct advantages over synthetic polymers because of their abundance, biocompatibility, and biodegradability. Tragacanth gum, an anionic polysaccharide, is a natural polymer which is derived from renewable sources. As a biomaterial, tragacanth gum has been used in industrial settings such as food packaging and water treatment, as well as in the biomedical field as drug carriers and for wound healing purposes. The present review provides an overview on the state-of-the-art in the field of tragacanth gum applications. The structure, properties, cytotoxicity, and degradability as well as the recent advances in industrial and biomedical applications of tragacanth gum are reviewed to offer a backdrop for future research.

Self-Assembly of Mn(II)-Amidoximated PAN Polymeric Beads Complex as Reusable Catalysts for Efficient and Stable Heterogeneous Electro-Fenton Oxidation

A facile postsynthetic amidoxime modification method was reported on the preparation of transition-metal ions (Mn, Fe, and Co)-polyacrylonitrile (PAN) polymeric beads complex as reusable catalysts for efficient and stable heterogeneous electro-Fenton oxidation. Through one-step phase inversion, low-cost and chemically resistant polymeric PAN beads were fabricated on a large scale with controllable sizes and abundant porous structure. The postfunctionalization strategy led more active sites to be uniformly distributed into modified PAN beads owing to the favorable channel confined effect and chelate coordination. Compared with pure PAN beads, the modified composite catalysts exhibited remarkably higher activity and stability in electro-Fenton oxidation over wide pH range of 3-10 without any addition of H₂O₂. By analysis, the grafted amidoxime group was extremely beneficial for improving metal loading and binding force between active sites and organic supports, which accelerated the active sites autocatalytic cycle to promote H₂O₂ activation by means of excited electron transfer from composites' functional groups. The catalytic activity of Mn-amidoximated PAN evaluated by the turnover frequency was 15 times more than that of traditional iron oxide and very competitive to the reported metal-organic framework-based composites. Moreover, a strong metal and polymeric support interaction significantly enhanced the stabilization of active sites dispersed in porous matrix and solved the ever-present problem of metallic ions leaching to the greatest extent. The scalable introduction of functionalities into sophisticated structures after host framework synthesis will bring valuable insights to develop highly efficient and stable heterogeneous catalysts for green electrochemical oxidation in practical application.

Tree gum-based renewable materials: Sustainable applications in nanotechnology, biomedical and environmental fields

The prospective uses of tree gum polysaccharides and their nanostructures in various aspects of food, water, energy, biotechnology, environment and medicine industries, have garnered a great deal of attention recently. In addition to extensive applications of tree gums in food, there are substantial non-food applications of these commercial gums, which have gained widespread attention due to their availability, structural diversity and remarkable properties as 'green' bio-based renewable materials. Tree gums are obtainable as natural polysaccharides from various tree genera possessing exceptional properties, including their renewable, biocompatible, biodegradable, and non-toxic nature and their ability to undergo easy chemical modifications. This review focuses on non-food applications of several important commercially available gums (arabic, karaya, tragacanth, ghatti and kondagogu) for the greener synthesis and stabilization of metal/metal oxide NPs, production of electrospun fibers, environmental bioremediation, bio-catalysis, biosensors, coordination complexes of metal-hydrogels, and for antimicrobial and biomedical applications. Furthermore, polysaccharides acquired from botanical, seaweed, animal, and microbial origins are briefly compared with the characteristics of tree gum exudates.

Synthesis of a new superabsorbent copolymer based on acrylic acid grafted onto carboxymethyl tragacanth

In this research, a new superabsorbent copolymer was synthesized based on the tragacanth gum (TG) via graft polymerization of the acrylic acid onto the carboxymethyl tragacanth (CMT) in the aqueous solution. For this purpose firstly, the carboxymethyl tragacanth was synthesized by reaction of the tragacanth gum and the monochlroroacetic acid in basic conditions. Then the acrylic acid was grafted on the carboxymethyl tragacanth via free radical polymerization. The characterization of the products was carried out by FT-IR, TGA, and SEM analyses. The effects of reaction conditions such as different values of the initiator, monomer and crosslinking agent on water absorbency were investigated. Furthermore, the swelling behavior of the synthesized polymer was evaluated in normal saline, tap water, distilled water, at different pHs and in various degrees of neutralization of the acrylic acid. Finally, by studying the obtained results, optimum conditions for the copolymer with the highest swelling ratio were obtained.

A One Pot Method for Preparing an Antibacterial Superabsorbent Hydrogel with a Semi-IPN Structure Based on Tara Gum and Polyquaternium-7

An antibacterial superabsorbent polymer was prepared by graft polymerization of acrylic acid onto tara gum polysaccharide, by adding N,N-dimethyl-N-2-propenyl-2-propen-1-aminium chloride and a polymer with 2-propenamide (polyquaternium-7, PQ7) as an antibacterial agent. The effects of the amount of PQ7 in the hydrogel on its swelling ratio were investigated and maximum swelling ratios of 712 g/g and 68 g/g, in distilled water and 0.9 wt % NaCl solution were attained with 0.5 g PQ7 per gram of tara gum. The superabsorbent hydrogel was characterized by using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and thermal gravimetric analysis. The results showed that poly (acrylic acid) was successfully grafted onto tara gum and a three-dimensional network structure formed with PQ7 chains penetrated in the networks. The antibacterial properties of these superabsorbent hydrogels against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli improved with increasing PQ7 content. This study demonstrates a method of preparing novel functional superabsorbent hydrogels.

Hydrazinolyzed cellulose-g-polymethyl acrylate as adsorbent for efficient removal of Cd(II) and Pb(II) ions from aqueous solution

Hydrazinolyzed cellulose-graft-polymethyl acrylate (Cell-g-PMA-HZ), an efficient adsorbent for removal of Cd(II) and Pb(II) from aqueous solution, has been prepared by ceric salt-initiated graft polymerization of methyl acrylate from microcrystalline cellulose surface and subsequent hydrazinolysis. The influences of initial pH, contact time, and temperature on adsorption capacity of Cell-g-PMA-HZ as well as adsorption equilibrium, kinetic and thermodynamic properties were examined in detail. As for Cd(II) adsorption, kinetic adsorption can be explained by pseudo-second-order, while adsorption isotherm fits well with Langmuir isotherm model, from which maximum equilibrium adsorption capacity can be derived as 235.85 mg g^-1 at 28 °C. Further thermodynamic investigation indicated that adsorption of Cd(II) by adsorbent Cell-g-PMA-HZ is endothermic and spontaneous under studied conditions. On the other hand, isotherm of Pb(II) adsorption fits well with Freundlich isotherm model and is more likely to be a physical-adsorption-dominated process. Consecutive adsorption-desorption experiments showed that Cell-g-PMA-HZ is reusable with satisfactory adsorption capacity.

Preparation, characterization, uranium (VI) biosorption models, and conditions optimization by response surface methodology (RSM) for amidoxime-functionalized marine fungus materials

Amidoxime-functionalized marine fungus Fusarium sp. #ZZF51 (ZGDA) was synthesized and studied to adsorb uranium (VI) from the aqueous solution. Different instrumental techniques such as FTIR, SEM, and TGA were employed for the characterization of the manufactured materials, and theirs ability of removal uranium (VI) was optimized using RSM. The experimental results showed the maximum adsorption capacity for the synthesized materials was 230.78 mg g−1 at the following optimization conditions: S–L ratio 150 mg L−1, pH 5.13, uranium (VI) initial concentration 40 mg L−1, and equilibrium time 122.40 min. More than 85% of the absorbed uranium (VI) could be desorbed by 0.5 or 1.0 mol L−1 HCl, and the modified mycelium could be reused at least five times. The thermodynamic experimental data of adsorption uranium (VI) could fit better with Langumir and Freundlich isotherms models, and the pseudo-second-order model was better to interpret the kinetics process. The modified fungus materials exhibited the better sorption capacity for uranium (VI) in comparison with raw biomass should be attributed to the strong chelation of amidoxime to uranium (VI) ions.

An effective approach for the laboratory measurement and detection of creatinine by magnetic molecularly imprinted polymer nanoparticles

A magnetic MIP that exhibits high selectivity to capture creatinine with a binding capacity of 33.32 mg g⁻¹was successfully synthesized.

Tragacanth gum/nano silver hydrogel on cotton fabric: In-situ synthesis and antibacterial properties

This paper is mainly focused on introducing cotton fabric with hydrogel and antimicrobial properties using Tragacanth gum as a natural polymer with hydrogel properties, silver nitrate as silver precursor, citric acid as a cross-linking agent and sodium hypophosphite as catalyst. The water absorption behavior of the treated fabrics was investigated with moisture regain, water retention, drying time of wetted fabric at room condition and vertical wicking tests. Antibacterial properties of the samples were evaluated against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcous aureus. The SEM pictures confirmed formation of nano silver and hydrogel layer on the fabric surface and XRD performed the crystal and particle size of the nano silver. The chemical structure of the fabric samples was identified with FTIR spectra. The central composite design (CCD) was used for statistical modelling, evaluated effective parameters and created optimum conditions. The treated cotton fabrics showed good water absorption properties along with reasonable antibacterial effectiveness.

Adsorptive removal of toxic metals and cationic dyes by magnetic adsorbent based on functionalized graphene oxide from water

Adsorption of heavy metal ions and cationic dyes from aqueous solutions by superparamagnetic GO-based polymeric nanocomposite.

Structural modification of acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene waste as an efficient nanoadsorbent for removal of metal ions from water: isotherm, kinetic and thermodynamic study

An environmentally benign approach for the structural modification of ABS waste and its use for the removal of heavy metal ions from aqueous solutions have been described using isotherm, kinetics and thermodynamic studies.

Removal of dyes and heavy metal ions from water by magnetic hydrogel beads based on poly(vinyl alcohol)/carboxymethyl starch-g-poly(vinyl imidazole)

Highly porous magnetic nanocomposite hydrogel (m-CVP) beads were prepared and used for the removal of dyes and heavy metal ions.

Magnetic Co–Fe bimetallic nanoparticle containing modifiable microgels for the removal of heavy metal ions, organic dyes and herbicides from aqueous media

Poly(methacrylic-co-acrylonitrile) (p(MAc-co-AN)) microgels were prepared and nitrile groups were converted to amidoxime groups by chemical modification.

Synthesis and characterization of pH-responsive nanohydrogels as biocompatible drug carriers based on chemically modified tragacanth gum polysaccharide

In this work, the preparation and application of pH-responsive nanohydrogels based on tragacanth gum polysaccharide and glycidyl methacrylate were investigated.