Abstract

In this study, B-Cyclodextrinn polymerized with beetroot fibers (Bio-polymer), was prepared and applied to the removal of organic and inorganic contaminants from wastewater. An investigation into the use of cross-linked cyclodextrin polyurethanes copolymerised with beetroot fibers as adsorbents for organic pollutants and heavy metals has yielded very useful results which may have an impact in future water treatment applications.

The Biopolymer was tested in water contaminated by dyes, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and heavy metals. The effectiveness to eliminate dyes such as methylene blue and Rhodamine B with concentrations around 100 ppm was more than 99%, while the pyrene,which was chosen as an example among PAHs, showed a potential of elimination exceeding the 97% for solutions of 10 ppm. Also, heavy metals, such as Lead, Zn, and Cu, were tested and showed an efficacy exceeding the 99.8%. The results indicated that the biopolymer developed in this study has the potential to be a promising material for the removal of mixed pollutants from industrial wastewater or from contaminated groundwater.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.