Biopolymers for the separation of organic and inorganic chemical species

• Grant number: 18/15311-5
• Support Opportunities: Program for Research on Bioenergy (BIOEN) - PIPE
• Start date: March 01, 2019
• End date: February 29, 2020
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Analytical Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Gabriel Gustinelli Arantes de Carvalho
• Grantee: Gabriel Gustinelli Arantes de Carvalho
• CNAE: Fabricação de produtos químicos não especificados anteriormente ; Pesquisa e desenvolvimento experimental em ciências físicas e naturais
• Associated scholarship(s): 19/08236-0 - Biopolymers for the separation of organic and inorganic chemical species, BP.TT; 19/05138-7 - Biopolymers for the separation of organic and inorganic chemical species, BP.BIOEN.PIPE

Abstract

The occurrence of organic (e.g., agrochemicals, aromatics, polychlorinated biphenyls) and inorganic (e.g., Cd, Pb, Hg, As) pollutants in the environment has stimulated the need to monitor the levels of these species in order to promote the environmental and food safeties. Solid phase extraction (SPE) methods are the most used strategy for sample preparation for the analysis of these pollutants by modern instrumental techniques. The aim of this project is to evaluate the feasibility of biopolymers (e.g., cellulose, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, alginate) for the separation of organic and inorganic chemical species from aqueous media. These adsorbent substrates will be prepared in the forms of beads, aerogels, disks and membranes, aiming their use in dynamic separation processes (i.e., column separation). The use of sugarcane bagasse as bioadsorbent material will also be evaluated. The knowledge generated in this project should contribute to the development of new products that should attend the market (national and international) of sample preparation supplies (e.g., cartridges and disks for SPE) for chemical analysis. Such knowledge will also contribute to the development of separation devices (e.g., filters, membranes) for water purification, both on a domestic and industrial scale. It should be noted that the proposal is environmentally friendly approach, since it proposes the use of natural and renewable substrates. (AU)