Inverse Vulcanized Polymers for Sustainable Metal Remediation

Abstract

Heavy metal exposure has an enormous burden on human health. Current metal removal technologies require substantial improvements in relation to their efficiency and environmental impact if this issue is to be addressed. Over the last decade, several new types of sulfur‐rich sorbents have been investigated. These polymers typically have high removal efficiencies for toxic metals such as mercury and are often made using sustainable and low‐cost reagents. This review surveys polymers made by inverse vulcanization that have been tested for metal capture. Focus is put on environmental impact, feedstock for sorbent synthesis, selectivity towards metal removal, toxicity studies, and the reusability of the polymers. Furthermore, this review discusses current limitations and the potential opportunities to use different comonomers for improved metal capture.

Electrochemical Synthesis of Poly(trisulfides)

“…This precipitation mechanism is useful when considering the use of Na poly-3 as a flocculant in copper recovery processes or remediation applications. The ability of polysulfide polymers to bind other metals besides gold and mercury is also an important capability for multimetal binding required in remediation, mining, and metal recycling …”

“…The ability of polysulfide polymers to bind other metals besides gold 50 and mercury 17 is also an important capability for multimetal binding required in remediation, mining, and metal recycling. 53 Thermal Curing. Thermal curing of poly-4 was investigated to test if cross-linking would provide a material that is more chemically and thermally robust than the linear polymer (S99−S100).…”

Unveiling the Role of Polysulfide Matrices in Phosphate Diffusion for Controlled Release Fertilizers

“…The results suggest a selectivity toward anion permeation by the PS and a higher affinity for sulfate transportation (Figure ). Previous studies with PSs indicate that these structures have a strong chemical affinity toward cations, as evidenced by experiments with metal sequestration, e.g., Hg and Fe. − Thus, the limited cationic permeability could be related to this sequestration effect by the sulfur sites. Anions, on the other hand, probably have weak chemical interactions with the PS film, which allows mobility to permeation.…”

Green and sustainable natural derived polysulfides for a broad range of applications

“…Copolymerization of elemental sulfur with vinyl-containing monomers (named inverse vulcanization) is the most utilized strategy for the fabrication of stable polysulfides. 14,15,20,27 This process involves the heating of elemental sulfur to a temperature of around 160 °C ( production of thiyl radicals) and then mixing with vinyl compounds (Fig. 3).…”

“…The fabrication of polysulfides is one of the main strategies for converting elemental sulfur into high value-added materials. 14,15 Polysulfides are used in many fields, including thermal infrared imaging, 16 energy storage, 17,18 repairable materials, 19 heavy metal adsorbents, 20,21 oil adsorbents, 22,23 fertilizers 24 and antibacterial agents. 25,26 There are various types of renewable natural product-based monomers such as vegetable oils, terpenes, terpenoids and essential oils that can be copolymerized with elemental sulfur for the fabrication of green polysulfides.…”