Water detoxification by a substrate-bound catecholamine adsorbent
AssigneeNorthwestern University
InventorsPhillip B. Messersmith, Haeshin Lee
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A bio-inspired method for detoxifying contaminated water is disclosed. In the method, polydopamine, a mussel-inspired adhesive catecholamine was used as an adsorbent to effectively remove from contaminated water three major classes of toxic agents: heavy metal ions (e.g., Cr, Hg, Pb, Cu, and Cd), toxic organic species (e.g., 4-aminopyridine), and radioisotopes (e.g., Lutetium-177). Furthermore, the polydopamine adsorbent was regenerated by treatment with acid or hydrogen peroxide.
Claims13
A method for removing one or more contaminants from water, the method comprising contacting the water with an adsorbent comprising a polydopamine polymer,
- whereby the one or more contaminants are adsorbed to the polydopamine polymer and removed from the water;
- and
- removing the adsorbent and the adsorbed contaminants from the substrate surface by contacting the adsorbent with hydrogen peroxide.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.