Easy-fabrication and low-cost carbamate-based porous organic polymers for efficient removal of methylene blue

Abstract

Organic dye wastewater is a tremendous threat to the environment and human beings. Adsorption as a simple but effective approach for dye removal has attracted widespread attention. However, this promising method is dictated by the development of highly cost-effective adsorbents. Porous organic polymers (POPs) as a new type of porous adsorbent for efficient dye removal have exhibited tremendous potential. However, the scalable production of POPs is still a tremendous challenge, due to the very poor availability of building blocks, often involving tedious synthesis and extremely expensive starting materials. In this study, a kind of carbamate-based POP (CPOP) was designed and synthesized by a simple urethane reaction in one step between 4,4′-diphenylmethane diisocyanate and phloroglucinol without any catalysts. The structure and physicochemical properties of CPOPs were fully characterized and the adsorption and removal performances of organic dyes in water were evaluated. The results indicated that CPOPs with high stability can efficiently and selectively adsorb methylene blue (one of the most widely used dyes) in water. Considering the simple and easy-to-scaleup preparation process and commercially available low-cost raw materials, CPOPs as adsorbents have great potential for use in the treatment of dye wastewater.