Comparative Study on the Decontamination Efficacy of Peelable Coatings for Heavy Metals Removal

Abstract

This study presents the formulation and application of strippable coatings for the entrapment and removal of heavy metals (HMs) and radio nuclides (RNs). The “green” formulations involve the use of a water-based solution consisting of a synthetic biodegradable polymer, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), together with a natural polymer (sodium alginate) as the polymer matrix and bentonite as the reinforcing agent with cation exchange capacity. Four chelating agents comprising two classical chelating agents (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), diethylenetriamine-pentaacetic acid (DPTA)) and two “green” chelating agents (iminodisuccinic acid (IDS), 2-phosphonobutane-1,2,4-tricarboxylic acid (PBTC)) were used to evaluate the capacity to remove Cu, Sb, Zn, Sr, Pb, Co, and Hg from the contaminated surfaces. This decontamination method leads to the formation of a solid waste, thus eliminating the need for wastewater treatment. Atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS), inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX), and ultraviolet-visible (UV–Vis) spectroscopy were used to comparatively evaluate the decontamination efficacy. EDX elemental mapping confirmed the entrapment of the contaminants inside the polymeric matrix.

Visualizing Penetration of Fluorescent Dye through Polymer Coatings

“…Polymer coatings are found in a variety of application areas, from food packaging [1][2][3] and automotive paints [4][5][6][7][8] to corrosion prevention [9][10][11][12][13][14] and material decontamination. [15][16][17][18][19][20][21] One of the DOI: 10.1002/marc.202300304 primary functions of coatings is to protect the underlying substrate against external agents, such as solvents, [22][23][24] toxins, [25,26] bacteria, [27][28][29][30][31][32] or corrosive ions, [33][34][35][36][37][38][39] that are harmful to the underlying surface. Since these external agents vary, protective coatings need to be designed for the specific application in question.…”

Peelable Alginate Films Reinforced by Carbon Nanofibers Decorated with Antimicrobial Nanoparticles for Immediate Biological Decontamination of Surfaces

“…Over time, strippable coatings have proved to be advantageous for the removal of contaminants from surfaces [9][10][11][12] representing a low-cost and effective method [9]. The coating formulations are designed to entrap contaminants via physical or chemical means [9].…”