Efficient Water Pollutants Targeting: Novel Materials with Molecular Imprints for Textile Industry Use

Abstract

In this study, the effect of diphenylmethane and triphenylmethane templates on the adsorption capacity of materials obtained by reacting β-cyclodextrin with hexamethylene diisocyanate was investigated. The obtained materials were evaluated as adsorbents for the removal of bisphenol A (BPA), bisphenol B (BPB), and crystal violet (CV) from aqueous solutions and wastewater. All materials showed selective interaction with CV, which was adsorbed within 1 min. The adsorption kinetics followed a pseudo-second-order model. According to the Hill isotherm model, the maximum adsorption capacities for CV were 594.89 mg g^–1 (CDP), 1075.84 mg g^–1 (DI-CDP), and 1005.75 mg g^–1 (TRI-CDP). The significantly increased adsorption capacity of molecularly imprinted polymers (MIP) confirmed their superiority over nonimprinted polymers (NIP). The adsorption capacity remained stable after five cycles of virtually waste-free regeneration. Selective adsorption of CV over BPA and BPB was observed in both model and real wastewater samples, including those from the textile industry.