Polysulfone-Activated Carbon Hybrid Particles For The Removal Of BPA

There currently is an increasing interest in endocrine disruptors, since people have faced severe endocrine disruptor problems. When endocrine disruptors come into human's body and combine with acceptors of cells, they send out inaccurate information and destroy natural metabolism, exudation and procreation of human beings. Endocrine disruptors in food, water, and soil have become a worldwide problem. Some methods to treat endocrine disruptors in polluted water and wastewater are essential.Adsorption is an effective and convenient method to remove endocrine disruptors. Activated carbons are well known adsorbents, and are widely used in industry for the separation, purification, and recovery processes. Any inexpensive materials with high carbon content can be used as a raw material for the production of activated carbon. However, when the activated carbons are used directly, especially used in liquid medium, fine carbon particles together with soluble organic compounds in the carbons will be eluted. Thus, when the activated carbons were used as absorbents to remove endocrine disruptors, it is better to coat a polymer film outside the carbons.In the previous studies, we prepared polysulfone microspheres using a liquid-liquid phase separation technique, and investigated the adsorption characterization to bisphenol A (BPA) onto the polysulfone microspheres. We find that the polysulfone microspheres could bind endocrine disruptors having highoctanol-water distribution coefficients. For using the advantages of the polysulfone and activated carbons, we prepared polysulfone-activated carbon (PSF-AC) hybrid particles, and investigated the removal of BPA by the hybrid particles.The PSF-AC hybrid particles are prepared using a liquid-liquid phase separation technique. The PSF-AC hybrid particles are then used for the removal of BPA from its aqueous solutions. The PSF-AC hybrid particles have the similar structure as the polysulfone beads; both of them have a skin layer outside and a porous structure inside. The adsorption ability increased significantly when active carbon was embedded into the particles, and the hybrid particles showed relatively more adsorption ability when the activated carbon content was about 50%. With the increase of BPA concentration, the BPA adsorbed amount by the particles increased. For the 50% activated carbon hybrid particles, the maximum adsorption amount was about 65mg/g The adsorbed BPA to the hybrid particles could be effectively removed by ethanol, which indicates that the hybrid particles can be reused. The hybrid particles were also used to remove other endocrine disruptors, such as phenol and diethylstilbestrol (DES), and high removal ratios were obtained. We also discussed the adsorption dynamics and mechanism to the BPA by the hybrid particles originally.Furthermore, we also investigated the effect of the additives (propylene glycol, PG) and the coagulants in the process of the hybrid particle preparation on the adsorption ability. The additives could improve the adsorption capability to BPA, and the coagulants also affect the adsorption capability of the hybrid particles. The removal ratio increased about 20% when the preparing conditions changed.These results suggest that the PSF -AC hybrid particles have a potential to be used for the removal of BPA in environmental application.