Design of High Efficiency Amine Functionalized Fibers for Natural Organic Matter Removal
In this research, we studied a new ion exchange material, amine functionalized fibers held in place by epoxy to remove natural organic matter (NOM) from water. These amine functionalized fibers were prepared by coating low cost glass fiber substrates with a branched polyethylenimine (PEI) and then treated with epoxy. In this report, the synthesis, characterization and effectiveness of the PEI/Epoxy on glass fiber substrates in natural water will be discussed. The results indicated that 60/40 PEI/Epoxy fibers has NOM levels approximately 1/3 below that of the untreated water. In contrast, commercial ion exchange beads cannot decrease the levels of NOM below the untreated water levels, demonstrating that PEI/Epoxy fibers are the most effective material for NOM removal.
School:
University of Puerto Rico at Arecibo
Department:
Chemistry
Research Advisor:
James Economy
Department of Research Advisor:
Material Science and Engineering
Year of Publication:
2006