Efficient removal of perfluorobutanesulfonic acid from water through a chitosan/polyethyleneimine xerogel

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2023.143236Get rights and content
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Highlights

  • A xerogel is formed through the combination of chitosan with polyethyleneimine.

  • The xerogel efficiently removes perfluorobutanesulfonic acid from water.

  • The adsorption is attributed to electrostatic and hydrogen bond interactions.

  • Molecular docking simulations confirm the adsorption mechanism.

Abstract

Due to the recently ratified legislations, the use of long-chain poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) must be reduced and in the absence of a safe alternative, short-chain PFASs are currently used in their place. The continuously growing utilization of the short-chain PFASs, results in their abrupt introduction in the environment, and highlights the importance of adopting efficient remediation strategies. This study addresses an appropriate solution to remove perfluorobutanesulfonic acid (PFBS) from aqueous media through a static adsorption process. Specifically, a chitosan/polyethyleneimine based composite xerogel was prepared and its ability to remove PFBS from water was studied in detail. Behavioral patterns of the PFBS adsorption process were perused over a broad range of concentrations from ppb to ppm, and the adsorption studies reveal that the maximum PFBS adsorption capacity reaches up to 305 mg/g within 24 h from the beginning of the process. In addition to the electrostatic interaction between the amine groups of the xerogels and the negatively charged PFBS molecules, the formation of hydrogen bonds were also revealed by the chemical characterization and confirmed by molecular dynamics simulation studies.

Keywords

Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs)
Water remediation
Adsorption
Molecular dynamics

Data availability

No data was used for the research described in the article.

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