Porous gel materials from waste thermosetting unsaturated polyester for high-efficiency wastewater treatment

Abstract A novel gel material (GM) was successfully fabricated via basic hydrolysis of waste thermosetting unsaturated polyester resin (WTUPR) under environmentally benign conditions by one-pot method. The obtained GM had rough and porous structures with considerable functional groups, which contributed to its fast adsorption performance, distinguished adsorption capability of 754.65 mg·g −1 , and excellent reusability (no efficiency decay after 20 adsorption/desorption cycles). The regeneration of GM was energy-saving since the GM could be directly used in the subsequent adsorption process after desorption without additional drying and grinding processes. In addition, the GM presented a good selective adsorption performance and might serve as an ideal metal ion carrier for catalytic degradation of organic pollutants in wastewater. This approach directly transformed WTUPR into high value-added products for water purification with energy-saving processes, opening up a novel avenue to recycle waste thermosetting materials into high value-added products by a facile sustainable approach for the reutilization of resource and the protection of environment.