Polyaniline: reinventing a known polymer

With the rapid expansion of industrial activities, an exponential number of pollutants are being discharged into the environment, leading to a deterioration of the environment and compromising people health. Tons of dyes, heavy metals, drugs, pesticides, VOCs, NOx and many other pollutants every year affect the quality of the entire ecosystem. The treatment of most of these compounds is challenging because of their resistance to biodegradability and stability towards heat, light, and oxidizing agents. Several technologies have been properly developed (AOPs, filtration, precipitation, etc.) [1]. However, the inherent disadvantages (secondary waste, high operational cost, and complicated procedures) of the methods limit their large-scale application. Among the various remediation techniques, the adsorption-reduction method is a critical way to remediate pollutants contamination because of its high efficiency and cost-effectiveness. Polyaniline (PANI), an interesting innovative conducting polymer, and its composites have been extensively investigated as adsorbents and reducing agents. Although PANI-based materials have shown very outstanding activity towards both organic and inorganic pollutants removal, some shortcomings have emerged, such as the toxicity of reagents used for the traditional synthesis of the polymer, the fossil origin of the monomer (aniline), etc. Herein, we report innovative methods based on eco-friendly approaches for PANI-based materials fabrication and their application in the field of both water and air remediation [2, 3]. Moreover, the present study proposes new ways of using the polymer for more sustainable solutions.