TITLE:
The Development of Molecularly Imprinted Polymers in the Clean-Up of Water Pollutants: A Review
AUTHORS:
Kwabena Agyarko Sarpong, Wanzhen Xu, Weihong Huang, Wenming Yang
KEYWORDS:
Wastewater Treatment; Aqueous Conditions, Molecularly Imprinted Polymers, Water-Compatible
JOURNAL NAME:
American Journal of Analytical Chemistry,
Vol.10 No.5,
May
13,
2019
ABSTRACT: In the last decades, the extensive use of chemical and biological materials has not only seen to an increased transport of environmental pollutants but also, it has interfered and compromised the pristine state of different environmental matrices with emphasis on waterbodies. This has stimulated studies to develop and adopt novel techniques which consider the removal of pollutants with premium on economic feasibility, simple instrumentation, and high performance. In the treatment of water, the removal of trace concentration organic compounds and other numerous polluted water effluents is difficult due to limited affinity of trace compound ions to ion exchange resins. Because of the selective nature; recognition properties; adsorption ability; high stability; and easier preparation of molecular imprints, they are considered attractive and suitable artificial receptors to be applied in analytical separations, drug delivery, and as chemical sensors. In this review, we touch on the fundamentals of molecularly imprinted technologies and underscore some recent advances made in the development of imprinted polymers that are compatible with water and how they can be used in the clean-up of pollutants. The paper finally presents a comprehensive report on some challenges and outlook in the use of MIPs as water treatment sorbent.