Characterization and polymeric adsorpyion potentials of new biocomposite hydrogels based propenamide containing hydrocolladid and zeolite

Objective: In this thesis, a natural polysaccharide known as hydrocolloid, such as "Acacia gum" (Gum arabic) (AG)", "zeolite (ZEO)", which is an aluminum silicate with a crystal structure, and a hydrophilic co-monomer; "sodium styrenesulfonate (SSS)" were used. The aim of this study is to investigate the production, characterization and polymeric adsorption potentials of a new biocomposite polymeric adsorbent that they will form together with propenamide (PrAm, acrylamide), a neutral monomer widely used in the production of cross-linked polymers. Material and Methods: New biohybrid hydrogels containing AG, ZEO, SSS and PrAm were obtained by free radical addition polymerization in aqueous solution. In this reaction, ammonium persulfate (APS) was used to initiate the reaction and N,N,N',N'- tetramethylethylenediamine was used to accelerate the reaction. As the crosslinker, poly(ethylene glycol)diacrylate was chosen. At the synthesis stage, new biocomposite hydrogel polymers formed by adding ZEO and AG together to the medium were obtained. FT-IR spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) technique were applied for structural characterization. By applying swelling tests to polymeric systems, many parameters related to swelling and water diffusion has been found. In the last stage of the study, dye absorption studies from aqueous media were evaluated by using cationic dye such as toluidine blue. Results: At the end of the study, hydrogels with high water retention were obtained. It has been observed that these samples can hold water at a high rate and can absorb a cationic dye such as toluidine blue. Conclusion: It has been concluded that the polymeric systems obtained in this study have a high capacity to effectively adsorbent for pollutants such as dye in the environment. Key words: Propenamide, zeolite, acacia gum, hydrogel, toluidine blue, color removal, sorption, diffusion, sodium styrenesulfonate.