Characterization of absorbent polymers for the removal of volatile hydrophobic pollutants from air

BACKGROUND: An emerging innovation for the treatment of polluted air consists in using a liquid–solid biphasic system, in which the sequestering phase contains inert polymer beads. The different polymers tested here for this purpose were; Hytrel^® G3548L, Hytrel^® G4078W, styrene butadiene copolymer, 28% and 31%, silicone rubber, PEBAX^® 2533, and rubber tires. The selection of the most effective polymer(s) first requires a determination of the uptake of the pollutants by the solid phase in terms of key polymer properties such as partition coefficient, diffusion coefficient and biodegradability. RESULTS: A significant difference was found in the uptake levels of α‐pinene from the gas phase for the different polymers tested. Based on partition coefficient measurements, relatively non‐polar polymers such as Kraton^® tend to uptake α‐pinene better than polar ones, such as Hytrel^®. A reduction in the partition coefficient of α‐pinene into polymers in the presence of water has also been observed. It was also proven that the tested polymers are not biodegradable. CONCLUSIONS: The uptake of α‐pinene by the different polymers tested was determined and it was shown that such polymers could be used for air pollution control. Furthermore, their non‐biodegradability justifies their use as absorbents. This paper provides a new opportunity to work with biofilters (BFs)/biotrickling filters (BTFs) using polymers as a sequestering phase. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry