Fast microwave-assisted hydrolysis of unsaturated polyester resin into column packing for rapid purifying of dye wastewater

Abstract Microwave-assisted selective degradation successfully converts thermosetting unsaturated polyester resins into a low-swelling (below 10 g g-1) gel material (GM) with a high yield (58-65%) in water at 100 °C for only 1 h. The obtained GM possesses rough and porous structure while the content of carboxylate group obtained by cleavage of partial ester groups is more than 10%, varying with the concentration of the catalyst. It is suitable for use as packing of adsorption column to rapidly purify sewage. Super high filtering rates of 18582-27002 L·h-1 m-3 without external pressure and high removal efficiency of more than 99.8% were achieved, promoting practical application for rapid removal of organic pollutants.