A novel gel-based approach to wastewater treatment – unique one-shot solution to potentially toxic metal and dye removal problems

Abstract

This communication reports the development of a unique gel-based adsorbent for wastewater treatment using a new low molecular weight gelator. The most interesting aspect of this technique is that the ligand not only gelled potentially toxic metals, like lead and cadmium, but that it also simultaneously adsorbed toxic dyes, like methyl orange, from an aqueous solution. This offers a one-shot solution to two major water purification problems.