Filter the poison in water with materials from cheap sugar molecules

Scientists have found a cheap material that can effectively remove toxic substances in the water.

The new material created by transforming a natural sugar molecule into polymer has shown that the ability to filter toxins is better than current technologies.

Pollutants from industrial zones always cause serious problems for the surrounding community. In the United States, in 2016, areas like Hoosick Falls (New York) or Bennington (Vermont) had to declare a state of emergency because of drinking water contaminated with toxic chemicals.

So where is the main culprit? According to scientists, it is Perfluorooctanoic acid - often abbreviated as PFOA . In the past, PFOA has been used to produce the now-familiar TEFLON sticky agent, which produces waterproofing agents for carpets, food wrap bags and even dental floss.

But to make these cleaning products and adhesives, we have to pay a pretty expensive price.

PFOA is an extremely toxic substance to organisms . Once released into the environment, this poison will never decompose. This means that to improve water resources, the only thing we can do is remove PFOA from contaminated water streams.

Simulate the removed PFOA process.(Source: American Chemical Society).

Scientists have created a polymer material from simple sugar molecules called beta-cyclodextrin . This material effectively removes PFOA from water sources 10 times more than conventional filter materials such as activated carbon (currently used to produce deodorant underwear).

'Our new material will separate the toxins from the water source. Polymer molecules are able to bind strongly to PFOA and separate this toxin from the water source even when PFOA is only in low concentrations'. Researcher William Dichtel of Northwestern University, Illinois, said.

Beta-cyclodextrin is a natural regenerative sugar molecule derived from cornstarch. The cyclodextrin molecule is transformed into a polymer by connecting to another molecule - called cross-linking . Knowing the perfect ratio makes the cross-linking of beta-cyclodextrin molecules the key to maximizing toxic filtration efficiency.

The cyclodextrins molecule is made up of sugar molecules linked together into a chain. This natural beta-cyclodextrin chain will create a perfect sized structure to bind and hold PFOA molecules.

For other contaminants, scientists can do a similar method, just change cyclodextrin with another cyclodextrin molecule with larger or smaller holes.

New water filtration materials were created by converting a natural sugar molecule into polymer.

Researcher Dichtel said: "Our findings also show that, in order to filter other contaminants, we only need to adjust the polymers accordingly and the toxic filtering nature remains the same."

In their study, the scientists reduced PFOA levels from 1mg / liter to 10 nanograms / liter - much lower than the Environmental Protection Agency's recommendation.

The best active polymers can remove up to 95% of PFOA within 13.5 hours.

Furthermore, these polymers can be used repeatedly by simply washing through methanol at room temperature. In particular, this material is also effective for humic acid, a component of natural organic matter commonly found in rivers and preventing the activity of activated carbon.

Scientists hope to commercialize this material in the near future and establish a manufacturing and distribution plant on the market.

The results were published in the American Chemical Society.