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

alcantar /Cardena-ValenciaU / sri合作团队提出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一种新型膜，这种膜的材料具有吸收水污染物的能力，并且可再生、可生物降解，并且可以通过可持续农业获得。形成这些新膜的网络的很大一部分将来自天然糖和蜡。这些化合物将从仙人掌粘液中提取，仙人掌的粘稠部分。分离过程将调用类似仙人掌植物在干旱环境中运输水的功能，以模仿污染物从水中分离的过程。建议的工作重点是应用可持续和天然材料的基础研究，能够去除水中的有害有机化学物质。尽管聚二甲基硅氧烷（PDMS）膜由于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，但高分子量有机物（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，因为时间常数和选择性慢。本项目将运用仿生学的方法来比较评价利用粘液中的多糖来模拟仙人掌的营养途径。多糖将在PDMS网络中交联，也在角质蜡（形成仙人掌皮的材料）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所取代，这将在该领域产生重大影响。参与该项目的学生将接受培训，运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化学和工业挑战。包括本科生将通过USF和SRI之间的本科生研究交换实习来实现。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套新的化学实验室课程计划。

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.