Amyloid Fibrils Aerogel for Sustainable Removal of Organic Contaminants from Water

• Published in: Advanced materials (Weinheim) 2020-03, Vol.32 (12), p.e1907932-n/a
• Main Authors: Peydayesh, Mohammad, Suter, Meret Kim, Bolisetty, Sreenath, Boulos, Samy, Handschin, Stephan, Nyström, Laura, Mezzenga, Raffaele
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adsorption; Aerogels; amyloid fibrils; Bentazone; Bisphenol A; Contaminants; Contamination; Energy consumption; Environmental effects; Ibuprofen; Lactoglobulin; Materials science; Milk; Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs; organic pollutants; Pollutants; Regeneration; water; Whey; β‑lactoglobulin
• ISSN: 0935-9648; 1521-4095
• DOI: 10.1002/adma.201907932

Water contamination by organic pollutants is ubiquitous and hence a global concern due to detrimental effects on the environment and human health. Here, it is demonstrated that amyloid fibrils aerogels are ideal adsorbers for removing organic pollutants from water. To this end, amyloid fibrils prepared from β‑lactoglobulin, the major constituent of milk whey protein, are used as building blocks for the fabrication of the aerogels. The adsorption of Bentazone, Bisphenol A, and Ibuprofen, as model pollutants, is evaluated under quasi‐static conditions, without use of energy or pressure. Through adsorption by amyloid fibrils aerogel, excellent removal efficiencies of 92%, 78%, and 98% are demonstrated for Bentazone, Bisphenol A, and Ibuprofen, respectively. Furthermore, the maximum adsorption capacity of amyloid fibrils aerogel for Bentazone, Bisphenol A, and Ibuprofen is 54.2, 50.6, and 69.6 mg g−1, respectively. To shed light on the adsorption equilibrium process, adsorption isotherms, binding constants, saturation limits, and the effect of pH are evaluated. Finally, the regeneration of the aerogel over three consecutive cycles is studied, exhibiting high reusability with no significant changes in its removal performance. These results point at amyloid fibrils aerogels as a sustainable, efficient, and inexpensive technology for alleviating the ubiquitous water contamination by organic pollutants. A β‐lactoglobulin amyloid fibrils aerogel is introduced as a sustainable, effective, and cheap solution for removal of organic pollutants from water. The amyloid fibrils aerogel exhibits excellent efficiency for the adsorption of pesticides, pharmaceuticals, phenolic compounds, dyes, and organic solvents from water. The aerogel consists of protein fibrils, making it affordable and environmentally friendly.