Polydopamine-coated open cell polyurethane foam as an efficient and easy-to-regenerate soft structured catalytic support (S2CS) for the reduction of dye

doi:10.1016/j.jece.2016.11.025

Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering

Volume 5, Issue 1, February 2017, Pages 79-85

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jece.2016.11.025 Get rights and content

Highlights

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We report a novel soft structured catalytic support (S₂CS@Polydopamine).
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This tool is inexpensive, easy to filtrate, and easy to regenerate for the removal of dye.
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It is possible to dope the S₂CS@PDA with Ag NPs.

Abstract

Commercially available open cell polyurethane foams (OCPUF) are coated with polydopamine (OCPUF@PDA) and used as highly efficient Soft Structured Catalytic Support (S₂CS) for the removal of a methylene blue (MB) from aqueous solutions in the presence of sodium borohydride (NaBH₄). The process relies on the probable dual role of NaBH₄ that, on one hand, would allow MB to be adsorbed on the surface of OCPUF by forming an ionic pair, and on the other, would play the role of an electron-donor with the PDA layer acting as an electron relay toward the electron-acceptor dye. The catalytic activity of the PDA layer can be doped with Ag nanoparticules (NPs) by simple dipping the structured OCPUF@PDA in a solution of silver nitrate. All S₂CS prepared (OCPUF, OCPUF@PDA and OCPUF@PDA@Ag) were then evaluated and compared. The readily prepared OCPUF@PDA has potential application in wastewater treatment in the presence of NaBH₄.

Graphical abstract

Introduction

Various industrial sectors such as the textile, paper, rubber, plastic, leather, cosmetic, food and drug industries use dyes to color their products [1]. The textile industry, in particular, is one of the biggest producers of dye-containing effluents. Removal of these pigments plays a significant role in wastewater treatment. Indeed dyes, such as methylene blue (MB) which is one of the most commonly used substance for dying cotton, wood and silk [2], interfere with the penetration of sunlight in water, retard photosynthesis, inhibit the growth of aquatic biota, and may be harmful to human health [3].

Various physicochemical methods have been developed to treat these dyes [4], [5], [6], [7], [8], [9], [10], [11], [12], [13]. Among these processes, the adsorption technique is widely used in industry owing to its low cost and high removal rates [2], [3], [5]. The efficiency of an adsorption process is directly linked to the adsorption capacity, availability, cost, and potential for reuse of the chosen adsorbent [14]. Thus, most adsorbents are based on activated charcoal, which is highly efficient and inexpensive. However, because of its powdery nature, it is not a convenient choice for the treatment of high flows. There is therefore a growing demand for low-cost structured materials capable of removing dyes from water. In this context, Baldez et al. [15] have shown that polyurethane foams (PUF) can be used as an alternative adsorbent of MB in the presence of anionic surfactant; the latter forming a hydrophobic ionic pair with the cationic dye that has a high affinity for PUF. An open cell polyurethane foam (OCPUF; see Fig. 1) approach is exciting since an open cell foam allows an important surface over volume ratio, a small pressure loss (even at high flow) [16], [17], efficient mass transfers, an intimate mixing of the reagents [18], [19], and an easy separation of the adsorbent (OCPUF) from the solution; no filtration step is required in contrast to powdery adsorbents. Moreover, OCPUF are lightweight structures, commercially available at low cost due to the large variety of applications involving their physical and mechanical properties [20].

The chemical reduction of dyes is also a fast, efficient and commonly used method for water decontamination. In most cases, metal and metal oxide nanoparticles (NPs) are used as redox mediator (RM) catalysts to increase reduction rates in the presence of an electron source (usually a hydride) [21], [22], [23]. Indeed, RMs are composed of a redox couple with an intrinsically high electron transfer rate, which can assist the interaction between an electron donor and an electron acceptor by acting as an electron relay [23], [24], [25].

In 2007, Lee et al. [26] placed polydopamine (PDA) into the spotlight as a mussel-inspired coating material that can bind to virtually all kinds of inorganic and organic support, including three-dimensional materials such as OCPUF as shown by our recent works [27], [28]. Furthermore, PDA is known as an environmentally friendly, non-toxic, and efficient redox mediator [29], [30]. Thus, PDA possesses numerous catechol groups that are redox-active for a wide range of electrochemical applications [31], [32], [33], [34], and can act as an electron acceptor at neutral and basic pH values because of the presence of semiquinone and quinone functional groups.

In this context, the work described herein illustrates the concept of Soft Structured Catalytic Support (S₂CS) modified by PDA in order to combine the remarkable features of OCPUF (elastic, lightweight, inexpensive) with both the strong adherence and redox properties of PDA. The resulting tool is evaluated for the decontamination of MB-containing wastewater in the presence of NaBH₄ [35], [36], [37], [38].

Section snippets

Materials and methods

Commercial compounds were used as received. Dopamine hydrochloride, sodium borohydride, Methylene Blue, Tris base, and Silver nitrate were purchased from Alfa Aesar. Polyurethane open cell foams (Fig. 1) were purchased from FoamPartner. Their characteristics are as follows: mean strut size: 220 μm; mean window size: 779 μm; mean cell size: 2500 μm; density: 0.027–0.033, porosity: 0.94–0.97. Cubic samples of 8 cm³ (180 mg ± 20 mg) were used without prior treatment. The solutions are prepared with water

Preparation and characterization of OCPUF@PDA

OCPUF@PDA were prepared by simple immersion of cubic samples of OCPUF at room temperature in an aqueous solution of dopamine buffered to a pH of 8.5 (Fig. 2), followed by thorough washings with water, according to our recently reported procedure [27]. Similarly to this work, low magnification scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images of OCPUF@PDA (Fig. 2 – 20 μm scale) revealed a coating of PDA on the whole surface of the 3D material at a macroscopic level. However, higher magnification SEM

Conclusion

In summary, we have demonstrated that our recently introduced Soft Structured Catalytic Support (S₂CS) [27], [28] based on a bioinspired coating of OCPUF by PDA is an efficient support for the reduction of dye. The thin film of PDA onto the OCPUF surface provides RM (Redox Mediator) properties to the open cell foam. Moreover, the RM properties of the OCPUF@PDA can be efficiently regenerated by simple exposure to air at room temperature. Finally, it is possible to dope the catalytic activity of

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the ANR 2016 PRCE ‘POLYCATPUF’ and the University of Lyon 1 for financial support during this work.

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Polydopamine-coated open cell polyurethane foam as an efficient and easy-to-regenerate soft structured catalytic support (S2CS) for the reduction of dye

Highlights

Abstract

Graphical abstract

Introduction

Section snippets

Materials and methods

Preparation and characterization of OCPUF@PDA

Conclusion

Acknowledgements

Dyes Pigments

J. Hazard. Mater.

J. Colloid Interface Sci.

Chem. Eng. J.

J. Membr. Sci.

Chemosphere

Adv. Environ. Res.

Adv. Environ. Res.

Sep. Purif. Technol.

Appl. Catal. B: Environ.

Sep. Purif. Technol.

J. Hazard. Mater.

Chem. Eng. J.

Appl. Catal. A: Gen.

Catal. Commun.

Catal. Commun.

J. Ind. Eng. Chem.

Bioresour. Technol.

Catal. Commun.

J. Hazard. Mater.

J. Hazard. Mater.

Chem. Eng. J.

Polydopamine-coated open cell polyurethane foam as an efficient and easy-to-regenerate soft structured catalytic support (S₂CS) for the reduction of dye