NOVEL Magnetic Nanocomposite Materials for RAPID Removal of Polychlorinated Biphenyls from Contaminated Water Sources

Magnetic nanocomposite systems able to capture polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in aqueous solution were developed, providing a cost-effective water remediation technique. Two distinct methods were employed to develop these polyphenolic nanocomposite materials, where the polyphenolic moieties were incorporated to create high affinity binding sites for organic pollutants. The first method utilized a surface initiated polymerization of polyphenolic-based crosslinkers and co-monomers on the surface of iron oxide magnetic nanoparticles to create a core-shell nanocomposite. The second method utilized a bulk polymerization method to create macroscale films composed of iron oxide nanoparticles incorporated into a polyphenolic-based polymer matrix, which were then were processed into microparticles. Both methods produce nanocomposite materials that can bind chlorinated organics, can rapidly separate bound organics from contaminated water sources using magnetic decantation, and can use thermal destabilization of the polymer matrix for contaminant release and material regeneration. The polyphenol functionalities used to bind organic pollutants were quercetin multiacrylate (QMA) and curcumin multiacrylate (CMA), which are acrylated forms of the nutrient polyphenols with expected affinity for chlorinated organics. Particles were characterized using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) and UV-visible spectroscopy stability analysis. Pollutant binding studies were performed using PCB 126 as a model PCB and chlorinated organic pollutant to determine binding affinity and capacity, and this was quantified using gas chromatography coupled to electron capture detector (GC-ECD). It was demonstrated that the materials effectively bound PCBs in aqueous media.