Synthetic polymer promises to clean up textiles industry by removing dyes from water

The findings from a team at North Carolina State University are claimed to offer a new potential method for cleaning wastewater after use by textiles, cosmetics or other industries. Their research is published in ACS Applied Polymer Materials.

“Dyes are used everywhere, including in the textile industry, as well as in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, paper, leather and even in medicines,” said Januka Budhathoki-Uprety, lead author of a paper on the work and an assistant professor of textile engineering, chemistry and science at NC State. “If these contaminants aren’t properly removed from wastewater after dyeing and finishing, they can be a significant source of environmental pollution and pose risks for human health.”

For their study, the researchers made polycarbodiimide and tested the material’s ability to clean wastewater by dissolving it in a solvent and then mixing it with water contaminated with dyes. They tested the polymer solution against a series of 20 anionic dyes (acid dyes), which are used in the textile industry. For initial assessments, the researchers did a visual test with the naked eye to see if the polymer worked. The researchers later quantified how well the polymer removed the colourant using UV-Vis spectroscopy.