(GIST OF SCIENCE REPORTER) IISER Bhopal Researchers Develop Polymers to Remove Micropollutants From Water

[March-2022]

Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Bhopal, researchers have developed polymers, which can remove highly Polar Organic Micropollutants (POMs) from water. This process will render the water safe for consumption.
This project was funded by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India, under ‘Centre for Sustainable Treatment, Reuse and Management for Efficient, Affordable and Synergistic solutions for Water’ (WATER-IC for SUTRAM of EASY WATER) Initiative.
These polymers have already been tested for polar organic micropollutants removal at the laboratory scale. Large-scale fabrication of these materials in collaboration with industrial partners will open up a promising avenue for real-time scavenging of toxic polar organic micropollutants from water.
Called ‘Hyper-crosslinked Porous Organic Polymers’ (HPOPs), a teaspoon of the powder of these polymers will cover an internal surface area of 1,000-2,000 m2/g, which is close to10 tennis courts.
The main advantages of these HPOPs include the large-scale fabrication using cheap and simple aromatic precursors without requiring any transition metal-based exotic catalysts and high thermal and hydrothermal stability.