Síntese e caracterização de poli(2-vinilpiridina-co-divinilbenzeno) para remoção de bisfenol A de meio aquoso

Abstract

Contaminants such as bisphenol A have gradually increased over the years, making human exposure increasingly inevitable. Its presence can already be detected in water bodies, even reaching drinking water. Therefore, due to contact with water, which is essential for life, contact with the environment and everyone who lives in it is a reality. Several studies have identified bisphenol A molecules as an endocrine disruptor capable of causing harm to various systems in the human body. This high risk has led national and international health agencies to establish exposure limit parameters to try to curb bisphenol A intake. In this scenario, it is necessary to test ways to remove this contaminant from nature. Among the possible methods is adsorption, a low-cost and highly advantageous method. The use of porous polymeric microspheres based on poly(2-vinylpyridine-co-divinylbenzene) for the adsorption of bisphenol A was the main objective of this work, since they promote, in addition to α-α interactions and electrostatic interactions, hydrogen interactions between the vinylpyridine groups. The polymeric resins were synthesized using the aqueous suspension polymerization technique and were characterized by FTIR, scanning electron microscopy, and thermal decomposition analysis. The reaction conditions studied for bisphenol A removal included aqueous media at room temperature, without any pH adjustments. Removal was monitored using a benchtop spectrophotometer, where the removal of approximately 0.354 mg/g of bisphenol A was observed, with a removal efficiency above 70%. Finally, the reuse of the adsorbent could be evaluated by desorbing bisphenol A in an alcoholic medium, maintaining a removal efficiency above 40%. This study contributed to the evaluation of the removal of a micropollutant commonly found in aqueous media, contributing to the development of strategies to mitigate human exposure to endocrine disrupting agents.