Arsenic Removal from Water By Porous Polymers

Drinking water supplies can be contaminated by arsenic due to erosion of natural deposits and industrial wastes. The Environmental Protection Agency has regulated arsenic maximum contaminant level to 10 ppb, but many wells are susceptible to higher levels of contamination. The purpose of this project is to produce a new type of porous monolith capable of adsorbing arsenic from drinking water. The monoliths are synthesized by polymerization of high internal phase emulsions containing 10 wt.% continuous phase and 90 wt.% dispersed phase. For the continuous phase, Acrylamide-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid as monomer, N,N’-Methylene(bis)acrylamide as cross-linker, potassium persulfate as initiator,  and Pluronic surfactants as emulsifier are used in the formulations. The dispersed phase contains vegetable oil. The emulsions are polymerized at ~70^oC, and then, washed with soxhlet to remove the oil phase. To provide arsenic adsorption capacity, iron oxide nanoparticles are incorporated in the polymer matrix. The morphology of samples are characterized using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The surface functionality of synthesized porous polymers are characterized using Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and titration with simultaneous conductivity measurements.