Grafting of aniline derivatives onto chitosan and their applications for removal of reactive dyes from industrial effluents

Novel protocol for fouling detection of reverse osmosis membrane based on methylene blue colorimetric method by image processing technique

In the current study, a novel methylene blue (MB)-based colorimetric method for a quick, inexpensive, and facile approach for the determination of fouling intensity of reverse osmosis (RO) membrane has been reported. This technique is based on the interaction of MB with the organic foulants and shows the corresponding change in the colour intensity depending on the severity of fouling. The organic foulants, such as albumin, sodium alginate, and carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), were chosen as model foulants, and the membranes were subjected to foul under extreme fouling conditions. The fouled membranes underwent an MB treatment followed by image-processing analyses. The severity of surface fouling of membranes was evaluated in terms of fouling intensity and correlated with the corresponding decline of permeate flux. The maximum fouling intensity of the albumin, sodium alginate, and CMC sodium were found to be 8.83, 23.38, and 9.19%, respectively, for the definite concentration of foulants. The physico-chemical interactions of the given foulants and MB were confirmed by changes in zeta potentials and increased sizes of the foulant by the dynamic light scattering technique. The surface fouling over the membrane surface was confirmed by the characterization of membranes.

Adsorption profile of anionic and cationic dyes through Fe3O4 embedded oxidized Sterculia gum/Gelatin hybrid gel matrix

Hazardous effluents from textile industries being major contributors of water pollution and impose potential adverse effects on environment. In present study, Fe₃O₄ embedded oxidized Sterculia gum/Gelatin hybrid matrix have been fabricated and evaluated for enrichment of methyl orange (MO) and methylene blue (MB). Newly synthesized matrix was characterized through powdered XRD, FTIR, FESEM, TEM and TGA. Integrated nanoparticles improved dye enrichment and facilitated removal of matrix from the aqueous solution under the influence of magnetic field. Influence of various reaction parameters viz.: contact time, adsorbent dose, initial dye concentration, temperature & pH of the adsorption medium on dye enrichment have been evaluated. Maximum adsorption (90 % and 88 % for MO and MB respectively) has been achieved. Langmuir, Freundlich and Tempkin adsorption isotherms have been evaluated. Experimental results validate well fitted Freundlich isotherm for MO and Temkin isotherm for MB. Adsorption kinetics has been analyzed through Pseudo first order, second order kinetic and intra particle diffusion models. Adsorption of both dyes was best explained via pseudo second order kinetic model. Negative value of Gibb's free energy change (-26.487 KJ mol ^-1 and - 24.262 KJ mol ^-1) for MB and MO at 303 K was an indication of spontaneity of the reaction.

Recent advances in adsorption of environmental pollutants using metal-organic frameworks-based hydrogels

Water pollution is increasing significantly owing to industrialization and population growth that lead to serious environmental and health issues. Therefore, the design and development of more effective wastewater treatment approaches are necessary due to a significant upsurge in demand for freshwater. More recently, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have attracted attention in environmental science owing to their tunable porosity, unique structure, flexibility, and various composition. Despite these attractive advantages, some drawbacks, including intrinsic fragility, unsatisfied processability, dust formation, and poor reusability, have greatly limited their applications. Therefore, MOFs are often designed as supported-based MOFs (e.g., MOFs-coated composites) or 3D structured composites, such as MOFs-based hydrogels. MOFs-based hydrogels are excellent candidates in the sorption process because of their appropriate adsorption capacity, porous structure, good mechanical properties, durability as well as biodegradable features. In this review, the removal of different pollutants (e.g., synthetic dyes, phosphates, heavy metals, antibiotics, and some organic compounds) from aqueous media has been studied by the adsorption process using MOFs-based hydrogels. The important advancements in the fabrication of MOFs-based hydrogels and their capacities in the adsorption of pollutants under experimental conditions have been discussed. Finally, problems and future perspectives on the adsorption process using MOFs-based hydrogels have been investigated.

Simultaneous removal of cationic and anionic dyes from simulated industrial effluents using a nature-inspired adsorbent

Alginate-grafted polyaniline (Alg-g-PANI) microparticles were synthesized through the grafting of aniline onto functionalized Alg followed by double crosslinking by glutaraldehyde and calcium chloride. The performance of the developed microparticles as adsorbent in simultaneous removal of malachite green (MG) and congo red (CR) dyes were examined by the batch method. Experimental parameters, including adsorbent amount, pH, initial dyes concentrations, and contact time were optimized. Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption models were employed to explore the equilibrium isotherm. As the Langmuir model results, the maximum adsorption capacities (Q_m) of microparticles for the MG and CR dyes were obtained as 578.3 and 409.6 mgg^-1, respectively. Adsorption kinetics for both dyes were well-fitted with the pseudo-second-order model that confirm the rate-limiting step might be the chemical adsorption. The adsorbent was regenerated via desorption process and was reusable five times without a substantial decrease in its adsorption efficacy in first three cycles. Adsorbent-dyes interactions were computationally evaluated using Gromacs package, and it was found that both MG and CR are able to interact strongly with the adsorbent. In accordance with experimental results, simulation data revealed that MG can be removed more efficiently than those of the CR. As the experimental results, we could conclude that the synthesized Alg-g-PANI microparticles can be used as a nature-inspired adsorbent for simultaneous removals of CR and MG dyes.

Fabrication of glutathione functionalized self-assembled magnetite nanochains for effective removal of crystal violet and phenol red dye from aqueous matrix

A novel fabrication of magnetite (Fe₃O₄) nanochains, surface functionalized with glutathione (GSH), has been attempted through a basic wet reduction method, coalesced with oxidative etching for the removal of crystal violet (CV) and phenol red (PR) from an aqueous solution. The structural and functional characterizations of GSH@Fe₃O₄ MNPs were performed using SEM-EDX, DLS, XRD, and FTIR. The nanochain-structured adsorbent was found to have an average size of 24 ± 1.29 nm and a zeta potential value of - 6.44 mV. The batch experiments showed that GSH@Fe₃O₄ MNPs have a brilliant removal efficiency of 97% and 79% for CV and PR dyes, respectively, within a period of 60 min. The influence of different operational parameters like adsorbent dosage, pH, temperature, reaction time, and initial dye concentration on the removal behaviour of the adsorbent was studied in detail. The adsorbate-adsorbent reaction was tested over isotherm models, and the reaction fitted well for Langmuir isotherm with an excellent q_max value of 1619.5 mg/g and 1316.16 mg/g for CV and PR dye, respectively. The experimental results were also validated using different reaction kinetics, and it was found that the pseudo-first-order model fits well for PR dye adsorption (R² = 0.91), while adsorption of CV dye was in best agreement with the pseudo-second-order kinetic model (R² = 0.98). Thermodynamic studies revealed that the adsorption reaction was spontaneous and endothermic in nature. Furthermore, GSH@Fe₃O₄ MNPs can be reused effectively up to 5 cycles of dye removal. Major mechanisms involved in the adsorption reaction were expected to be electrostatic attraction, hydrogen bonding, and π-interactions. The efficiency of GSH@Fe₃O₄ MNPs in real water samples suggested that it has a high potential for dye removal from complex aqueous systems and could be used as an effective alternative for remediation of dyes contaminated water.

Raman spectroelectrochemical study of poly(N-methylaniline) at UV, blue, red, and NIR laser line excitations in solutions of different pH

A detailed study on Raman spectroelectrochemistry of poly(N-methylaniline) (PNMA) layer deposited at a gold electrode was performed. Raman spectra were excited by four different laser wavelengths: UV line at 325 nm, a blue line at 442 nm, a red line at 633 nm, and a NIR line at 785 nm in solutions of different pH ranging from 1 to 9, and at different electrode potentials ranging from -0.5 V to 0.8 V. UV excitation reveals features characteristic for the reduced form of PNMA, even within the electrochemical potential range where oxidized forms of this polymer prevail. At a blue laser excitation, again, features of the reduced form are revealed, along with indications on the appearance of some kind of intermediate redox state within a definite potential window. Both red and NIR laser line excitations result in rich Raman features, disclosing all major redox forms as well as their interconversions by changing of electrode potential. The presence of polaronic form of PNMA even in pH-neutral and alkaline solutions has been disclosed. A detailed analysis of Raman vibrational bands is presented for different excitation wavelengths, different electrode potentials, and different solution acidities.

Flexible membrane composite based on sepiolite/chitosan/(silver nanoparticles) for enrichment and surface-enhanced Raman scattering determination of sulfamethoxazole in animal-derived food

A sepiolite/chitosan/silver nanoparticles (Sep/CTs/AgNPs) membrane substrate has been developed for the fast separation, enrichment, and surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) determination of sulfamethoxazole all-in-one. The Sep/CTs/AgNPs membrane substrate possessed the ability of rapid separation and enrichment to simplify the process for pretreatment and improve the efficiency of analysis. The grown AgNPs can provide abundant hot spots and plasmonic areas to amplify the Raman signals of target molecules effectively. The membrane substrate exhibited good stability with relative standard deviations of 5.8% and 7.1% to same batch and different batches membrane substrate, respectively,  by detecting sulfamethoxazole. The SERS method based on Sep/CTs/AgNPs membrane substrate was used for the determination of sulfamethoxazole with a linear range of 0.05-2.0 mg/L, and the limit of detection was 0.020 mg/L. The established SERS method was finally applied to the quantification of sulfamethoxazole in animal-derived food samples. Sulfamethoxazole was actually found in crucian sample with 12.4 μg/kg, and the result was confirmed by a high-performance liquid chromatography method with relative error of 5.3%. The whole process of analysis can be finished within 25 min with recoveries of 89.3-102.2%. The SERS method based on Sep/CTs/AgNPs membrane substrate provided an integrated strategy for rapid and accurate SERS analysis in food safety issues.

Sulfur functionality-modified starches: Review of synthesis strategies, properties, and applications

Starch is the second most abundant naturally-occurring polymer after cellulose that possess superior physicochemical and biological features with numerous practical applications ranging from industrial to biomedical. Despite, native starch suffer from some drawbacks, including difficult processability, low shear and thermal stability, weak mechanical properties, and tendency to easily retrograde and undergo syneresis. Therefore, modification of native starch is necessary for circumvent the above-mentioned problems and expanding application ranges. This natural polymer can be modified using chemical, physical, enzymatic, and genetic engineering strategies. Amongst, chemical approaches have received more attention owing to enhancing physicochemical and biological features that lead to higher performance than those of the other strategies. In this context, incorporation of sulfur functionality-containing groups (sulfonation and sulfation) can be considered as an efficient approach due to significant enhancement in physiochemical properties, including zeta potential (move to negative values), molecular weight, processiability (e.g., solubility and meltability), and rheology. Furthermore, this strategy can modified some biological features, such as hemocompatibility, protein sorption, biostability, adhesion and proliferation of numerous cells, antithrombogenicity, antiinflammatory, antiviral, antimicrobial, antioxidant, antifungal, anticoagulant and antifouling properties. Accordingly, this review highlight's the synthesis strategies, physiochemical and biological properties, as well as applications of sulfur functionality-modified starches in numerous practical fields.

Poly(N-methylaniline) vs. polyaniline: An extended pH range of polaron stability as revealed by Raman spectroelectrochemistry

A comparative study of polyaniline (PANI) and poly(N-methylaniline) (PNMA) has been performed by means of Raman spectroelectrochemical technique at 633 nm and 785 nm laser line excitations. The excitation wavelengths used fall into a resonance with the blue colored semi- and full-oxidized forms of these conducting polymers. The dependence of Raman features on electrode potential and solution acidity was studied, and relative content of polaronic and bipolaronic states was evaluated. In an acidic solution, the semioxidized emeraldine form of either PANI or PNMA exists in equilibrium between their polaronic and bipolaronic states. In a neutral or even slightly alkaline solution, this equilibrium for PANI shifts to bipolaron state, resulting in loss of its conductance. For PNMA, however, the relative content of polaron state appears high enough even in pH-neutral soulions, thus determining a higher conductivity of PNMA in pH-neutral environment as compared to that of PANI. A mechanistic interpretation for this, based on differences in the chemical structures of these polymers, is also presented.

Synthesis and characterization of chitosan/polyacrylamide hydrogel grafted poly(N-methylaniline) for methyl red removal

Chitosan/polyacrylamide hydrogel grafted poly(N-methylaniline) (CS/PACM-gr-PNMA) was good synthesized by chemical oxidative radical polymerization using potassium persulphate (KPS). The obtained polymer samples are characterized using IR and Uv-visible spectroscopy. Both surface properties and thermal stability were studied using XRD, SEM, BET and TGA techniques respectively. The characterized polymeric samples were used as a new sorbent for methyl red (MR). MR as an example of azo-dyes presence as pollutants in industrial wastewater which cause physiological damages was chosen to uptake. The influence of contact time, adsorbent dose, and temperature on the efficiency of CS/PACM-gr-PNMA towards the removal of MR was investigated. The efficacy was equal to 98% through 120 min at room temperature. The obtained data show that, ∆H = -21.478 kJ mol^-1, so adsorption process is physically spontaneous and follow Freundlich isotherm. The sorption process of MR on the surface of CS/PACM-gr-PNMA is proceed via the Lagergren pseudo-second order reaction. This confirms the removal mechanism by both chemical and physical adsorption of MR with both unpaired and π electrons present in polymer structure on NH, NH_2, and benzene or quinoid units respectively. In addition, it can explain the chemical adsorption type which occurs through sharing between the used adsorbent materials and the dissolved materials beside the physical adsorption.

Chitosan-based hybrid materials for adsorptive removal of dyes and underlying interaction mechanisms

Environmental pollution by dyes molecules has become a subject of intensive research in recent years due to their hazardous effects on human health, organisms, and animals. Effective treatment and removal of dye molecules from the environmental matrices and water sources are of supreme concern. The deployment of cheap, safe, green, sustainable, and eco-friendly materials to remove these pollutants from water is the main challenge during the last decades. Chitosan and its derivatives/composites, as a cheap, easily available, and environmentally friendly sorbent, have attracted increasing attention for the removal of dye molecules. This review article focuses on the application of chitosan and chitosan-based smart adsorbents for the removal of dyes. Recent methods for the preparation of chitosan-based composites and their application in the removal of dyes are discussed. Moreover, the possible mechanisms for the interaction of chitosan and chitosan-based adsorbents with dyes molecules were evaluated. Finally, future prospects of using chitosan as an adsorbent for the removal of dye molecules are directed.

A review on the synthesis of graft copolymers of chitosan and their potential applications

Chitosan is an antimicrobial, biodegradable and biocompatible natural polymer, commercially derived from the partial deacetylation of chitin. Currently modified chitosan has occupied a major part of scientific research. Modified chitosan has excellent biotic characteristics like biodegradation, antibacterial, immunological, metal-binding and metal adsorption capacity and wound-healing ability. Chitosan is an excellent candidate for drug delivery, food packaging and wastewater treatment and is also used as a supporting object for cell culture, gene delivery and tissue engineering. Modification of pure chitosan via grafting improves the native properties of chitosan. Chitosan grafted copolymers exhibit high significance and are extensively used in numerous fields. In this review, modifications of chitosan through several graft copolymerization techniques such as free radical, radiation, and enzymatic were reported and the properties of grafted chitosan were discussed. This review also discussed the applications of grafted chitosan in the fields of drug delivery, food packaging, antimicrobial, and metal adsorption as well as dye removal.

Stepwise Ethanol-Water Fractionation of Enzymatic Hydrolysis Lignin to Improve Its Performance as a Cationic Dye Adsorbent

In this work, lignin fractionation is proposed as an effective approach to reduce the heterogeneity of lignin and improve the adsorption and recycle performances of lignin as a cationic dye adsorbent. By stepwise dissolution of enzymatic hydrolysis lignin in 95% and 80% ethanol solutions, three lignin subdivisions (95% ethanol-soluble subdivision, 80% ethanol-soluble subdivision, and 80% ethanol-insoluble subdivision) were obtained. The three lignin subdivisions were characterized by gel permeation chromatography (GPC), FTIR, 2D-NMR and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and their adsorption capacities for methylene blue were compared. The results showed that the 80% ethanol-insoluble subdivision exhibited the highest adsorption capacity and its value (396.85 mg/g) was over 0.4 times higher than that of the unfractionated lignin (281.54 mg/g). The increased adsorption capacity was caused by the enhancement of both specific surface area and negative Zeta potential. The maximum monolayer adsorption capacity of 80% ethanol-insoluble subdivision by adsorption kinetics and isotherm studies was found to be 431.1 mg/g, which was much higher than most of reported lignin-based adsorbents. Moreover, the 80% ethanol-insoluble subdivision had much higher regeneration yield (over 90% after 5 recycles) compared with the other two subdivisions. Consequently, the proposed fractionation method is proved to be a novel and efficient non-chemical modification approach that significantly improves adsorption capacity and recyclability of lignin.

Chitin/Chitosan: Versatile Ecological, Industrial, and Biomedical Applications

Chitin is a linear polysaccharide of N-acetylglucosamine, which is highly abundant in nature and mainly produced by marine crustaceans. Chitosan is obtained by hydrolytic deacetylation. Both polysaccharides are renewable resources, simply and cost-effectively extracted from waste material of fish industry, mainly crab and shrimp shells. Research over the past five decades has revealed that chitosan, in particular, possesses unique and useful characteristics such as chemical versatility, polyelectrolyte properties, gel- and film-forming ability, high adsorption capacity, antimicrobial and antioxidative properties, low toxicity, and biocompatibility and biodegradability features. A plethora of chemical chitosan derivatives have been synthesized yielding improved materials with suggested or effective applications in water treatment, biosensor engineering, agriculture, food processing and storage, textile additives, cosmetics fabrication, and in veterinary and human medicine. The number of studies in this research field has exploded particularly during the last two decades. Here, we review recent advances in utilizing chitosan and chitosan derivatives in different technical, agricultural, and biomedical fields.

Synthesis and Characterization of Acetic Acid-Doped Polyaniline and Polyaniline⁻Chitosan Composite

Polyaniline–chitosan (PAni–Cs) composite films were synthesized using a solution casting method with varying PAni concentrations. Polyaniline powders used in the composite synthesis were polymerized using acetic acid as the dopant media. Raman spectroscopy revealed that the PAni powders synthesized using hydrochloric acid and acetic acid did not exhibit significant difference to the chemical features of PAni, implying that PAni was formed in varying concentrations of the dopant media. The presence of agglomerated particles on the surface of the Cs composite, which may have been due to the presence of PAni powders, was observed with scanning electron microscope–energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM–EDX). Ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) spectroscopy further showed the interaction of PAni with Cs where the Cs characteristic peak shifted to a higher wavelength. Cell viability assay also revealed that the synthesized PAni–Cs composites were nontoxic and may be utilized for future biomedical applications.

Application of polyaniline-based adsorbents for dye removal from water and wastewater-a review

Several industries release varying concentration of dye-laden effluent with substantial negative consequences for any receiving environmental compartment. The control of water pollution and tighter restriction on wastewater discharge directly into the environment to reduce the potential ecotoxicological effect of dyes is forcing processors to retreat and reuse process water and chemicals. Among the different available technologies, the adsorption process has been recognized to be one of the finest and cost-effective wastewater treatment technologies. Various adsorbents have been utilized to remove toxic dyes from water and wastewater. Here, we review the application of polyaniline-based polymeric adsorbent for the adsorption of dyes which have been received considerable attention. To date, various modifications of polyaniline have been explored to improve the adsorption properties. Review on the application of polyaniline for adsorption of dyes has not been present till date. This article provides relevant literature on the application of various polyaniline composites for removing dyes, and their adsorption capacities with their experimental conditions have been compiled. It is evident from the literature survey that polyaniline provides a better opportunity for scientists for the effective removal of various dye.

Modifying cellulose with metaphosphoric acid and its efficiency in removing brilliant green dye

In this study, cellulose was chemically modified through the addition of the phosphorylating agent, metaphosphoric acid in order to obtain a new material (MPCel) with higher adsorptive properties than the starting material. Both materials were characterized by infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, solid-state phosphorus-31 nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis. Maximal adsorption capacity, at 45°C for pure cellulose, was 90.5mgg^-1, at pH=10 and contact time of 40min, with experimental isotherms better adjusted to the Langmuir model. MPCel at the same temperature conditions showed contact time of 10min, pH=10, and maximal adsorption capacity of 150.0mgg^-1, being better adjusted to the Temkin model. The kinetic study of both materials followed the pseudo-second-order model. Modification successfully occurred and both adsorbents were shown able to be capable of removing the brilliant green dye, but MPCel was more efficient for purpose, when compared to the pure cellulose.