Efficient removal of various coexisting organic pollutants in water based on β-cyclodextrin polymer modified flower-like FeO particles.

Hypothesis: The construction of porous β-cyclodextrin polymer (β-CDP) modified flower-like FeO particles (CDP@FeO) is expected to remove various organic pollutants from water, based on the larger specific surface area of flower-like FeO particles and the active sites provided by β-CDP. With the help of various noncovalent interactions, the removal ability of CDP@FeO for various water-soluble and water-insoluble organic pollutants were systematically studied.

Experiments: CDP@FeO were successfully synthesized and applied for the simultaneous removal of various organic pollutants with different electrical properties, structure and hydrophobicity. Adsorption efficiency, adsorption process, adsorption mechanism and the reusability of CDP@FeO for single pollutant and mixed pollutants were comprehensively investigated.

Findings: CDP@FeO exhibited excellent adsorption capabilities for various pollutants. Importantly, when these pollutants were coexisting, CDP@FeO still maintained a comparable removal ability for various pollutants. Efficient removal of organic pollutants was attributed to varieties of noncovalent interactions between organic pollutants and CDP@FeO, including hydrophobic interactions, hydrogen bonds, π-π and electrostatic interactions. These results revealed that the excellent adsorption ability and convenient regeneration make CDP@FeO being a potential candidate in various complex organic wastewater purification.