Reusable and effective polyacrylic membranes for mecoprop and bentazon extractions

This study introduces reusable polyacrylic membranes, fabricated from commercially available monomers (1-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone and methylmethacrylate), as a promising approach for pesticide extraction. These membranes effectively remove the commonly used herbicides mecoprop (RE ≈ 99%) and bentazon (RE ≈ 95%) at low concentrations, which pose water contamination risks due to their water-soluble properties and leaf-level sorption. The membranes exhibit excellent manageability and resistance, allowing for safe handling without personal protective equipment. Additionally, the material is environmentally friendly and can be washed and reused for at least 4 cycles without a significant decrease in performance. Characterization techniques, including NMR, TGA, DSC, mechanical testing, N2 adsorption, and FTIR analysis, were used to investigate properties and assess the influence of the polymeric composition. The study focused on examining the lateral charged aminoethyl groups, which play a crucial role in sorbent-sorbate interactions. Sorption kinetics, isotherms, and permeation studies provided insights into the removal mechanism, efficiency, and permeability coefficients, revealing hydrophobic–hydrophobic interactions between the pesticides and the polymer. Molecular dynamics simulations revealed a scorpion-like conformation of the macromolecular chains surrounding the pesticides. These findings support the hydrophobic nature of the extraction mechanism and highlight the significant role of charged aminoethyl groups in facilitating this process.