IISER Bhopal develops organic polymers to clear micropollutants from water

Called ‘Hyper-crosslinked Porous Organic Polymers’ (HPOPs), a teaspoon of the powder of these polymers will cover an internal surface area of 1,000-2,000 m2/g, which is close to 10 tennis courts.

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Bhopal have developed organic polymers that can remove highly polar organic micropollutants (POMs) from water. The process will render the water safe for consumption.  

These polymers have already been tested for polar organic micropollutants removal at a laboratory scale. Large-scale fabrication of these materials in collaboration with industrial partners will open up a promising avenue for real-time scavenging of toxic polar organic micropollutants from water.  Called ‘Hyper-crosslinked Porous Organic Polymers’ (HPOPs), a teaspoon of the powder of these polymers will cover an internal surface area of 1,000-2,000 m2/g, which is close to 10 tennis courts.  

Advantages of Hyper-crosslinked Porous Organic Polymers 

• Large-scale fabrication using cheap and simple aromatic precursors without requiring any transition metal-based exotic catalysts.  
• High thermal and hydrothermal stability.  

The research was led by Abhijit Patra, Department of Chemistry, IISER Bhopal, at the Functional Materials Laboratory of the institute. The project was funded by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India, under ‘Centre for Sustainable Treatment, Reuse and Management for Efficient, Affordable and Synergistic solutions for Water’ (WATER-IC for SUTRAM of EASY WATER) Initiative. Established by the Ministry of Education (then Ministry of Human Resource & Development), Government of India, in 2008, IISER Bhopal is the youngest of the first five IISERs.  

The researchers showed, for the first time, the evolution process of 2D nanosheets of solvent knitted HPOP from nanospheres to nanoribbons to 2D nanosheets through electron microscopy. The adsorption rate for toxic cationic dye, methylene blue (carcinogenic, teratogenic, mutagenic) by solvent knitted HPOP is one of the highest among the well-known adsorbent materials reported in the literature (17.6 g mg^-1 min^-1). The 2D sheet-like HPOP could sequester a broad-spectrum of POMs, including antibiotics, endocrine disruptors, steroid-based drugs, ionic dyes, plastic precursors, pesticides, and herbicides within 30 seconds only.

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