Collaborative Research- SusChEM: Graded Interpenetrating Polymer Membranes Based on Sustainable Materials for Selective Removal of Organics from Water

1512225/1510475Alcantar/Cardena-ValenciaU的S.佛罗里达/SRIT合作小组建议开发和研究基于天然、可持续材料的膜的性能，以去除水中的有机污染物。该项目的最终目标是创造基于能够吸引水污染物的材料的新型膜，这些材料是可再生的、可生物降解的，可以通过可持续农业获得。形成这些新型膜的网络的很大比例将来自天然糖和蜡。这些化合物将从仙人掌粘液中提取，仙人掌粘液是仙人掌的粘性部分。分离过程将调用仙人掌植物用来运输水分以在干旱环境中生存的类似功能，以模拟污染物与水的分离过程。拟议的工作重点是应用能够从水中去除有害有机化学品的可持续和天然材料的基础研究。尽管聚二甲基硅氧烷(PDMS)膜因其疏水性和对气体和有机物的渗透性而易于用于有机分离，但由于时间常数和选择性较慢，高相对分子质量有机物-半挥发性有机化合物和多环芳烃(PAHs)的分离仍然具有挑战性。这个项目将引用生物仿生学来比较评估从粘液中提取的多糖在仙人掌中模拟营养途径的使用。这些多糖将在PDMS网络和角质蜡(形成仙人掌皮肤的材料)中交联。由于角质蜡具有极强的疏水性，这项工作可能会确定PDMS膜将被更可持续的材料取代，这将在该领域产生重大影响。从事这个项目的学生将接受培训，以应用创造性的工程观点来解决与环境评估和水质内在相关的问题中的化学和工业挑战。本科生的纳入将通过美国联邦和SRI之间的本科生研究交流实习实现。此外，高中生将接触到这个项目；PI将为佛罗里达州圣彼得堡的一所当地高中制定一个新的化学实验室教学计划。

1512225/1510475Alcantar/Cardena-ValenciaU of S. Florida/SRIThe collaborative team proposes to develop and investigate the performance of membranes based on natural, sustainable materials to remove organic contaminants from water. The ultimate goal of this project is to create novel membranes based on materials that have the ability to attract water pollutants and are renewable, biodegradable, and can be obtained via sustainable agriculture. A high percentage of the network forming these novel membranes will come from natural sugars and waxes. These compounds will be extracted from cactus mucilage, the gooey part of cacti. The separation process will invoke a similar function that cactus plants use to transport water to survive in arid environments to mimic the separation process of pollutants from water. The proposed work focuses on the application of fundamental research of sustainable and natural materials capable of removing harmful organic chemicals from water. Although poly dimethyl siloxane (PDMS) membranes are readily-used in organic separations due to their hydrophobic nature and permeability to gases and organics, separation of higher molecular weight organics-semi-VOCs and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)-remains challenging due to slow time-constants and selectivity. This project will invoke biomimicry to comparatively evaluate the use of polysaccharides from mucilage to emulate nutrient pathways in cacti. The polysaccharides will be cross-linked in PDMS networks and also in cutin waxes (materials that form the cactus skin). Since cutin waxes are extremely hydrophobic, this work potentially could establish that PDMS membranes will be replaced for more sustainable materials, which will be of high impact in the field. Students working on this project will be trained to apply creative engineering perspectives to solving chemical and industrial challenges in problems intrinsically related to environmental assessments and water quality. The inclusion of undergraduate students will be achieved via an undergraduate research exchange internship between USF and SRI. In addition, high school students will be exposed to this project; the PIs will develop a new chemical laboratory lesson plan for a local high school in St. Petersburg, Florida.