Cellulosic supergel for oil and water dual absorption and remediation.

An oil-water absorbing binate cellulosic supergel was developed for dual remediation of oil as well as water contamination. Scaffold for supergel was developed using high internal phase emulsion (HIPE) templating of an interpenetrating network of wood pulp cellulose (WPC) and hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC) with polyacrylic acid (PAA). The HIPE was formed by dispersing dodecane in a continuous aqueous phase of WPC, HEC, and acrylic acid (AA) stabilized using sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS).

Valorised polypropylene waste based reversible sensor for copper ion detection in blood and water.

Heavy metals and plastic pollutants are the two most disastrous challenges to the environment requiring immediate actions. In this work, a techno-commercially feasible approach to address both challenges is presented, where a waste polypropylene (PP) based reversible sensor is produced to selectively detect copper ions (Cu) in blood and water from different sources. The waste PP-based sensor was fabricated in the form of an emulsion-templated porous scaffold decorated with benzothiazolinium spiropyran (BTS), which produced a reddish colour upon exposure to Cu.