Iranian scientists have produced nanocomposite superabsorbent materials with the capability of increasing the efficiency of industrial water and wastewater purification.
The use of these absorbent structures is far better in economic terms than the application of other usual methods, Nano.ir reports.
It can be used as a method to improve the quality of wastewater of chemical and paint industries due to the ease of operation and the lack of sensitivity to toxic materials.
Researchers focused on using a natural material to purify pollutants in various industries with higher efficiency.
Nature-based superabsorbents, including starch, chitosan, carrageenan and cellulose, are appropriate choices in industrial wastewater purification processes due to their biodegradability and biocompatibility.
Therefore, a superabsorbent material based on the natural polymer of carrageenan, which is extractable from seaweed, has been produced in this research, and its performance in eliminating cationic dyes from wastewater was studied.
Results showed that the presence of iron oxide nanoparticles increases the rate of sorption. As the concentration of iron oxide nanoparticles increases in the natural polymer, a higher amount of dye is absorbed.
The presence of magnetic nanoparticles enables the superabsorbent to be easily separated after the purification process.
Simple design, low cost, speedy response, biological degradability and high sorption capacity are among other advantages of this nanocomposite superabsorbent.
