Evaluation of the influence of homopolymerization on the removal of water-insoluble organics by grafted polypropylene fibers

Lauryl acrylate (LA) grafted polypropylene (PP) fibers (PP-g-LA) were prepared via ultraviolet radiation and used to adsorb insoluble organics from aqueous solutions. The grafted fibers showed a maximum adsorption capacity of 18.85 g/g for benzene, while the adsorption capacity of the original PP fiber was only 8.21 g/g. However, graft polymerization is usually accompanied by the homopolymerization phenomenon, which is detrimental to practical applications of the grafted fiber. Homopolymerization negatively affected the adsorption capacities and the reusabilities of the grafted fibers, which decreased with increasing rates of homopolymerization. The adsorption capacity of grafted fiber with a homopolymerization rate of 18.40% was maintained above 85% of its initial adsorption capacity after being regenerated 10 times, while the adsorption capacity of the grafted fiber with a homopolymerization rate of 70.51% was approximately 40% of its initial capacity after 10 regenerations.