A novel polymer nanocomposite system for rapid dimethyl phthalate toxicity removal

Industrial manufacturing processes using Dimethyl Phthalate (DMP) based plasticizers contribute significantly to the growing issue of water pollution. The processes that can remove DMP at lower concentrations (~ 1 ppm) are seriously lacking for real-world application. The study aims for efficient adsorptive removal of DMP using a facilely synthesized zinc oxide incorporated polypyrrole (PPy_ZnO) polymer nanocomposites. A high-yield synthesis of PPy_ZnO was achieved through the oxidative polymerisation method. XRD, FESEM, and BET-BJH characterized the synthesized samples. The study found PPy_ZnO composite with 0.03 g of ZnO as a novel adsorbent for DMP. The PPy_ZnO removed 91.84% of DMP from a 1 ppm aqueous solution in 10 min—a rarity with lower concentrations of phthalate. Also, the results demonstrate that PPy_ZnO is an attractive and feasible material for removing higher and lower DMP concentrations. The enhanced adsorption phenomena are explained based on the synergetic effect of slit-like micropores and conjugated benzene rings in the PPy_ZnO. The DMP molecules become trapped inside the pores and are held there primarily by electrostatic attraction, H-bonding, and π–π interactions. This research shows that engineered surface functional groups of polymer nanocomposites could be used to make high-performance phthalate adsorbents.