SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF MODIFIED κ-CARRAGEENAN POLY(ACRYLIC ACID) HYDROGEL BEADS

Abstract

Textile wastewater contains synthetic fabric dyes that pose leading threat to human health and the environment. As standard water treatment methods are unable to remove persistent pollutants from the environment, researchers are turning to better adsorption methods to treat synthetic dyes. The aim of this study is to create a modified hydrogel of κ-carrageenan/poly(acrylic acid) as adsorbent for water treatment. The hydrogel beads were produced by crosslinking N'N-methylene bisacrylamide (MBA) and glutaraldehyde using coating and mixing techniques. Each method generates three samples, A, B, and C, with different compositions of N'Nmethylene bisacrylamide (MBA) crosslinking agent. The swelling and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) tests were carried out to determine the physicochemical properties of the κ-carrageenan hydrogel beads. The outcomes of the FTIR test have demonstrated that there is a crosslinking agent present on κ-carrageenan hydrogel beads. Functional groups include the hydroxyl group (O-H) found in alcohol and phenol, the aliphatic saturated hydrocarbon chain (C-H), the carbonyl and amide group (C=O) and (C-N), the sulfonyl and sulfate groups (O=S=O) and (S-O), along with the ester, ether, carboxylic acid, and anhydrides (C-O) presence in each sample ensured that crosslinking agents were successfully present on k-carrageenan beads for both methods. The swelling of κ-carrageenan poly(acrylic acid) hydrogel beads provides an effective technique for designing and modifying polysaccharide-based beads for wastewater treatment.