Polymeric Membranes Containing N-methyl-Glucamide Moieties for Selective Arsenic Removal from Water

DANIELLE CARETTI; J. ERTL; NATALIA CASÍS; MARIA MARTA FIDALGO DE CORTALEZZI; DIANA ESTENOZ

Pisa

Congreso; European Polymer Federation Congress EPF 2013; 2013

European Polymer Federation

In some geographical areas, like South America, the amount of arsenic in water is particularly high causing various severe pathologies. For this reason a selective removal of this element from drinking water is crucial in order to efficiently reduce its concentration. In this work, new monomers containing N-methyl-glucamide [1] segments were synthesized. Furthermore, the incorporation of protective groups in the molecular structure was studied in order to avoid the inhibition phenomena during polymerization due to the presence of a large number of hydroxyles. The functionalized monomers exhibited the ability to selectively remove arsenate ions from water and were tested for their application in the fabrication of porous membranes. Membranes with well defined and well controlled porosities and morphology were obtained from templates made from silica particles. The templates were prepared by the Langmuir-Blodgett technique. The monomers were polymerized into the void spaces of the deposit, yielding a 3D porous membrane upon dissolution of the particles [2]. The best results were obtained by preparing a methacrylic monomer linked to the N-methyl-glucamide chain and protecting the hydroxyles by trimethylsilane. This product is able to copolymerize with other monomers and during the dissolution of the silica spontaneously regenerates the hydroxyles which are necessary for the removal of arsenic species by complexation mechanisms.