| Autor: |
Olivares-Ariza, A.C., Zayas-Pérez, M.T., González-Coronel, V.J., Soriano-Moro, J.G.*, Cedillo-Portillo, J.J.* |
| Descripción: |
The accelerated growth of industrial and human activities has led to a significant increase in the amount of pollutants discharged into the environment, especially into water bodies. Among these pollutants, synthetic dyes and heavy metals stand out, their presence posing a serious threat to both aquatic ecosystems and human health. Industrial dyes, widely used in sectors such as textiles, paper, and food, are recalcitrant organic compounds that do not degrade easily through natural means. Their accumulation in water negatively affects the penetration of sunlight, interfering with essential processes such as photosynthesis and altering the balance of the food chain. On the other hand, heavy metals such as lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), and cadmium (Cd) are highly toxic even at low concentrations. These elements can bioaccumulate in the tissues of living organisms, generating adverse effects ranging from neurological disorders to genetic mutations and chronic diseases. Faced with this problem, the search for efficient, sustainable, and economical methods for pollutant removal has become a priority. In this context, hydrogels have emerged as promising materials for environmental remediation due to their low production cost, ease of synthesis, high swelling capacity in aqueous media, and the presence of diverse functional groups capable of interacting with different types of contaminants. In particular, hydrogels formulated from p[2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid] (p[AMPS]) have shown high potential for the adsorption of dyes and heavy metals. This capacity is attributed to the presence of the sulfonic acid group, which enables efficient ion exchange. Furthermore, p[AMPS] exhibits good chemical stability over a wide pH range and is nontoxic, making it a viable and safe alternative for the treatment of contaminated water. This research focuses on evaluating the efficacy of p[AMPS] hydrogels in environmental remediation processes, highlighting their comparative advantages over other conventional technologies.
Keywords: p[AMPS], Dyes, Heavy Metals, Hydrogels, Removal.
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