Environmentally Friendly Eutectogels Comprising l‐amino Acids and Deep Eutectic Solvents: Efficient Materials for Wastewater Treatment

Current concerns for sustainability and the environment make low‐impact materials desirable for environmental remediation and, in particular wastewater treatment. We obtained supramolecular gels of l‐amino acids in the deep eutectic solvent formed by choline chloride and phenylacetic acid. After gel...

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Published in:ChemPlusChem (Weinheim, Germany) Vol. 85; no. 2; pp. 301 - 311
Main Authors: Marullo, Salvatore, Meli, Alessandro, Dintcheva, Nadka. Tz, Infurna, Giulia, Rizzo, Carla, D'Anna, Francesca
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Germany 01-02-2020
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Summary:Current concerns for sustainability and the environment make low‐impact materials desirable for environmental remediation and, in particular wastewater treatment. We obtained supramolecular gels of l‐amino acids in the deep eutectic solvent formed by choline chloride and phenylacetic acid. After gel characterization, and investigating gel–sol transition temperatures, gelation kinetics, rheological properties, and morphology, the gels were applied as sorbents to remove cationic dyes from aqueous solutions. The effects of the pH, dye nature, volume, and concentration of wastewater were analyzed, and the best result was obtained with a l‐phenylalanine‐based eutectogel. It can be reused for at least 9 times without losing efficiency, also with dye mixtures. Interestingly, this gel can be loaded onto columns to decolorize flowing solutions, achieving 85 % of removal efficiency in only 10 minutes and allowing its reuse for at least 4 cycles. In terms of adsorption capacity, this eutectogel is competitive with efficient gel‐based dye sorbent systems, with a value 1930 mg/g reached at a high concentration of rhodamine B 479 mg/L. Gels clean up: Natural amino acid based supramolecular eutectogels for dye removal from water have been prepared and characterized. The gels showed fast and thorough dye removal coupled with high recyclability and very low environmental footprint. The best‐performing gel could be reused for at least 9 cycles without loss of efficiency, and can be loaded in columns for treatment of flowing water. It also showed an adsorption capacity for rhodamine B as high as 1930 mg/g.
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ISSN:2192-6506
2192-6506
DOI:10.1002/cplu.202000017