Cryogels with high cisplatin adsorption capacity: Towards removal of cytotoxic drugs from wastewater

Macroporous cryogels for capturing cisplatin were synthesized by cryogelation polymerization of methacrylic acid and 2-hydroxyethyl metacrylate. The cryogel materials exhibited good mechanical property, high swelling ratio and high affinity for cisplatin, with an adsorption capacity of up to 150 mg cisplatin per gram of cryogel. The correlation between the capacity of the cryogel and the monomer composition in the material was investigated in this study. The physical and chemical properties of the cryogels were studied in detail using scanning electron microscopy, textural analysis and infrared spectroscopy. The optimal cryogel can be reused for at least 14 cycles of adsorption/desorption to remove cisplatin from water without noticeable reduction of capacity. The experimental results suggest that the cryogel may be used as affinity adsorbents to remove cisplatin from wastewater discharged from pharmaceutical manufacturers and hospitals.