In South Korea, researchers have developed a renewable adsorbent that can selectively remove water-soluble organic contaminants in water.
The adsorbent is a fluorine-based nanoporous polymer that is both inexpensive and easy to synthesize. The material can address the growing diversity of water pollutants, particularly the removal of dyes and pesticides that are often small, highly soluble, and difficult to remove during water treatment. Current water treatment methods—including activated carbon, ozonolysis, and reverse osmosis—are designed to remove larger molecules with lower solubility.
The work, carried out by the Graduate School of Energy, Environment, Water, and Sustainability of Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, is detailed in a recent issue of Nature Communications.