A review on polypyrrole-coated bio-composites for the removal of heavy metal traces from waste water

With the development of industrialization and human activities, discharge of waste water containing heavy metals in the environment is increasing day by day. It causes serious threats to the human civilization and the flora and fauna in this earth. Conducting polymers like polypyrrole and polyaniline can be used for treating wastewater due to their inherent ion absorption properties. This article has been focused on the development of polypyrrole coated bio-composites and their potential about the removal of heavy metals from industrial wastewater. Adsorption process can be successfully employed to remove heavy metals from the wastewater by the treatment of water with polypyrrole-coated composites. It was reported in literature that the polypyrrole and polyaniline-coated adsorbents had good adsorption capacities for Mg, Fe, Cu, Cd, Pb, Zn, and Ni. Polypyrrole-coated saw dust, rice husk, chitin, and cellulosic materials could be able to remove Cr, Fe, Cu, and Zn from wastewater. This method would be a replacement for costly conventional methods of removing heavy metal ions from wastewater. It is expected that this method would be an alternative for waste water treatment which will benefit the industries in future.