Joanna Wolska

Polymeric microspheres with N-methyl-d-glucamine ligands for boron removal from water solution by adsorption-membrane filtration process

Polymeric microspheres with N-methyl-d-glucamine (NMDG) ligands have been tested in the adsorption–membrane filtration process for boron removal from aqueous solutions. The chelating resins were synthesized by reacting NMDG with the vinylbenzyl chloride–styrene–1,4-divinylbenzene (VBC/S/DVB) copolymer at the reflux temperature and in the microwave reactor. VBC/S/DVB spheres with a gel structure that contained 6 wt% DVB were obtained by membrane emulsification followed by suspension polymerization. By selecting the optimal emulsification and polymerization parameters, it was possible to obtain 25-μm-diameter particles with a narrow size distribution. Resins obtained by microwave modification showed the higher boron adsorption capacity.

Sorption of Phthalates on Molecularly Imprinted Polymers

Porous beads of styrene divinylbenzene copolymer, S-co-DVB, imprinted with dimethyl phthalate, DMP, were obtained. Two solvents were applied for the formation of pores: n-hexane and n-octane. The sorbents were prepared by membrane emulsification of monomer mixtures containing DMP followed by suspension polymerization. The average diameters of the synthesized beads were 40 µm for beads obtained from mixtures with n-octane, and 30 µm for preparations with n-hexane as solvent. It was shown that almost all monodispersive sorbents were obtained; their SPAN parameter was as small as 0.7–0.9. Sorption properties of evaluated samples varied in relation to the kind of applied reaction mixture. Generally, imprinted materials showed higher sorption capacity towards DMP than their off-template analogues. For the sorbent obtained in the presence of n-octane and with 3 wt.% of DMP, sorption of dimethyl phthalate took the highest value - 89 mg/g. The sorbents imprinted with DMP were checked for sorption of diethyl phthalate, DEP, and dibuthyl phthalate, DBP also. It was shown that sorbability of synthesized materials towards other phthalates was much smaller than for DMP and was not related to the presence of dimethyl phthalate foot prints.

Removal of Bisphenol A from Aqueous Solution by Molecularly Imprinted Polymers

Uniformly sized polymeric molecularly imprinted microspheres have been synthesized by membrane emulsification and suspension polymerization of methyl methacrylate and ethyl glycol dimethacrylate in the presence of bisphenol A as a template. At the beginning the best monomer compositions were selected by bulk polymerization of eight different mixtures of monomer and crosslinking agent. For the selected compositions that had the highest affinity to bisphenol A, a two-step process composed of membrane emulsification and suspension polymerization was used. Materials prepared by the two-step process showed the higher efficiency to the bisphenol A removal than their analogues prepared by bulk polymerization. The best material was synthesized from a mixture of methyl methacrylate and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as 4:6 in the presence of n-octane as a solvent, and with 3 wt.% of bisphenol A. The logKBPA value for this sample was 4.9. The experimental sorption isotherms were fitted by Scatchard plots and heterogeneity of the binding sites was determined. The selectivity of the sorbents to other phenols was demonstrated.

Membranes with a plasma deposited titanium isopropoxide layer

Porous polypropylene membranes were coated with plasma polymerized titanium isopropoxide in a 75 kHz plasma reactor. It was noted that the presence of air in the plasma chamber increased the amount of deposited polymer. Selection of the process parameters enabled obtaining membranes with up to 300 εg cm−2 of polymerized titanium isopropoxide. Deposition of the titanium oxide layer resulted in the reduction of permeate flux but it significantly improved the membrane photocleaning ability. The recovery index reached the level of 95 % for membranes with the highest amount of the titanium oxide deposit.

Thermoresponsive molecularly imprinted polymer for rapid sorption and desorption of diethyl phthalate

ABSTRACT A thermoresponsive molecularly imprinted polymer (T-MIP) for removal of diethyl phthalate (DEP) was obtained. The polymer was synthesized using N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM), methyl methacrylate (MMA) and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA). The studies have been focused on a selection of monomers composition and kind of solvent. The ability of molecular recognition towards DEP was evaluated. The obtained MIPs showed temperature-sensitive sorption comparing to non-imprinted analogues. The greatest affinity towards template was observed at 35°C for sorbent prepared from NIPAM:MMA of 3:7 ratio, with the 60% of crosslinker and toluene as a solvent. The best conditions for DEP desorption were noted at 60°C.