Biodegradable porous composite membranes based on PLA containing nanoclay/nanocellulose for removal and recovery of PTEs from contaminated water

• Grant number: 23/11229-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: September 01, 2023
• Status: Discontinued
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Materials and Metallurgical Engineering - Nonmetallic Materials
• Principal Investigator: Lucia Helena Innocentini Mei
• Grantee: Paulo Henrique Camani
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Engenharia Química (FEQ). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 20/13703-3 - Environmentally friendly porous materials for the recovery and revaluation of metals reclaimed from contaminated water, AP.TEM
• Associated scholarship(s): 24/15696-5 - Nanocomposite membranes containing nanoparticles chemically modified with plasma: the effect of plasma to develop high-performance membranes for environmental remediation, BE.EP.PD

Abstract

The contamination of water resources by potentially toxic elements (PTEs) is an alarming concern the globalized world faces. The harmful/toxic effects these elements provide encourage the search for methodologies to remove and recover these elements, aiming at improving water quality and mitigating future environmental problems. Therefore, this interdisciplinary project intends to develop membranes based on biodegradable polymer matrices of poly(lactic acid) (PLA), without and with the incorporation of nanocellulose and nanoclay of high adsorption capacity, according to the phase inversion method using the technique of application by aerography (airbrushing) and also performing a comparison with the electrospinning technique, intended for the adsorption and subsequent desorption of (Cd+2, Cr+6, Cu+2, Mn+2, Ni+2, and Zn+2) for treating contaminated water. From the ternary composite membranes (nanocellulose and nanoclay), the intrinsic properties, performances, biodegradation and ecotoxicity will be explored, and it is also intended to investigate their environmental aspects from the beginning to the end of the production chain. It is expected to understand the adsorptive action of the composite membranes containing the two particles, as well as aspects of dispersion, and the impact of thermal or mechanical properties, aiming at the possible improvement of the capture of these metallic ions by the synergistic effect of the dispersed phases and the polymeric matrix.