Organic polymers from IISER Bhopal can remove micropollutants from water

Bhopal, Feb 15 Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Bhopal (IISERB) have developed organic polymers, which can remove highly polar organic micropollutants (POMs) from water.

The process will render the water safe for consumption, according to the researchers.

The major organic micropollutants found in the surface water bodies include pharmaceuticals such as antibiotics, and steroids; industrial chemicals such as dyes, food additives, endocrine disruptors and plastic precursors; and agricultural disposals such as pesticides, herbicides, and fertilisers.

"In India, the prime concern is water contamination due to anthropogenic waste discharged to surface and groundwater by domestic, agricultural, and industrial sectors," said lead author Arkaprabha Giri, doctoral student, from the varsity's Department of Chemistry.

"These wastes contain large numbers of organic/inorganic micropollutants," Giri added.

Giri noted that the presence of these organic micropollutants' in water, even in trace amounts, poses a serious threat to human health and aquatic lives.

The team developed a series of organic polymers called 'Hyper-crosslinked Porous Organic Polymers' (HPOPs).

These polymers have already been tested for polar organic micropollutants removal at a laboratory scale.

The researchers found that a teaspoon of the powder of these polymers will cover an internal surface area of 1,000-2,000 m2/g, which is close to 10 tennis courts.

Large-scale fabrication of these materials in collaboration with industrial partners will open up a promising avenue for real-time scavenging of toxic polar organic micropollutants from water, the researchers said.

The findings have been published in the peer-reviewed journal ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces.

"We need efficient adsorbent materials that can not only scavenge highly polar organic micropollutants (POMs) from water rapidly but also can be synthesised easily on a large-scale through simple fabrication techniques,"Dr. Abhijit Patra, Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry