Composite of lignin derivatives and conducting polymers for electro-capturing of toxic heavy metals

Among the 100% water on planet earth, less than 1% is liquid fresh water and about 0.0025% is available fresh water for drinking, food and industries. More than 90% of the fresh water is utilized for agriculture and industries. Pollution of water is thus an increasingly important problem. One of the most challenging depollution process is from heavy metal ions. Pollutions caused by heavy metals like lead, cadmium and chromium are especially challenging since they are not biodegradable and accumulate in the environment. Ions are atomic or molecular in size and cannot be separated by classical physical method. These toxic metal ions are released to the environment through both natural and anthropogenic processes. In this project, we create composite materials based on conducting polymers and lignin for the electrocapture of heavy metal ions (Pb, Cd, Cr ions).