Method for Removing Textile Dyes from Contaminated Water

Background

Dyes are used in multitude of products in the textiles, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, food packaging, plastics, pulp and paper, paint, and leather industries. A significant volume of dyes is released to the environment every year from industrial processes. The textile industry uses large proportion of dyes and generates high volume of dye-effluents. It has been estimated that about one million ton of dyes are annually lost to the environment from the textiles industry alone due to inefficient dyeing and finishing operations and untreated effluents. The presence of dyes in water sources causes severe water pollution including a significant alteration in ecological conditions of aquatic life. The impact includes decrease in light penetration through water, which directly affects the photosynthesis of aquatic plants, altering CO2 fixation, as well as causing oxygen deficiency. Moreover, dyes-contaminated water sources can pose serious public health concerns including toxicity, mutagenicity, and carcinogenicity among other adverse health effects

Technology Overview

NC State inventors have developed a highly tunable material that can remove selective dyes from aqueous solutions. Once this unique material is used to remove the dyes from aqueous solution, both this material and the dyes can be regenerated for potential re-use. The process is modular and can be modulated by simple adjustment of solution pH.

Benefits

The material and process are environmentally friendly and cost‑effective.

Applications

The main application is for removing dyes from waste water. This material and process could be adapted to other biomedical applications for delivering small molecules, other applications involving surface coatings and even for packaging.

Opportunity

NC State is looking for any partners interested in further developing and licensing this promising technology.