Department of Biotechnology, School of Chemical and Biotechnology, SASTRA Deemed University, Thanjavur 613401, Tamilnadu, India.
Biosystems and Environmental Engineering Research Group, Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zimbabwe, P.O. Box MP 167, Mount Pleasant, Harare, Zimbabwe.
J Hazard Mater. 2021 Sep 5;417:125960. doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.125960. Epub 2021 May 5.
The pollution of aquatic systems with noxious organic and inorganic contaminants is a challenging problem faced by most countries. Water bodies are contaminated with diverse inorganic and organic pollutants originating from various diffuse and point sources, including industrial sectors, agricultural practices, and domestic wastes. Such hazardous water pollutants tend to accumulate in the environmental media including living organisms, thereby posing significant environmental health risks. Therefore, the remediation of wastewater pollutants is a priority. Adsorption is considered as the most efficient technique for the removal of pollutants in aqueous systems, and the deployment of suitable adsorbents plays a vital role for the sustainable application of the technique. The present review gives an overview of polyurethane foam (PUF) as an adsorbent, the synthesis approaches of polyurethane, and characterization aspects. Further emphasis is on the preparation of the various forms of polyurethane adsorbents, and their potential application in the removal of various challenging water pollutants. The removal mechanisms, including adsorption kinetics, isotherms, thermodynamics, and electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions between polyurethane adsorbents and pollutants are discussed. In addition, regeneration, recycling and disposal of spent polyurethane adsorbents are reported. Finally, key knowledge gaps on synthesis, characterization, industrial applications, life cycle analysis, and potential health risks of polyurethane adsorbents are discussed.
受有毒有机和无机污染物污染的水生系统是大多数国家面临的一个具有挑战性的问题。水体受到各种不同的无机和有机污染物的污染，这些污染物源自各种分散和点源，包括工业部门、农业实践和生活废物。这些危险的水污染物往往会在包括生物体在内的环境介质中积累，从而对环境健康构成重大风险。因此，废水污染物的修复是当务之急。吸附被认为是去除水系统中污染物最有效的技术，而合适的吸附剂的应用对于该技术的可持续应用起着至关重要的作用。本综述概述了作为吸附剂的聚氨酯泡沫（PUF）、聚氨酯的合成方法和表征方面。进一步强调了各种形式的聚氨酯吸附剂的制备及其在去除各种具有挑战性的水污染物方面的潜在应用。讨论了去除机制，包括吸附动力学、等温线、热力学以及聚氨酯吸附剂与污染物之间的静电和疏水相互作用。此外，还报告了用过的聚氨酯吸附剂的再生、回收和处置。最后，讨论了关于聚氨酯吸附剂的合成、表征、工业应用、生命周期分析和潜在健康风险的关键知识差距。
