Water Treatment by Molecularly Imprinted Materials

The WATERMIM project is focused on the advancement and optimization of the MIP technology in order to produce functional materials with well-defined morphologies with respect to pore structure and selectivity for water treatment applications. The project aims at the elimination of the random distribution and the uneven accessibility of receptor sites in the volume of the imprinted material that is crucial for its performance.

Such novel materials will immediately gain practical relevance, especially, due to their increased selectivity and superior stability under long and harsh technical conditions. The simultaneous optimization of the imprinting efficiency, polymer membrane morphology and separation conditions will enable the development of a truly molecular selective water purification process, based on affinity interactions that would have a large application impact on the water treatment industry.

All types of synthetic organic compounds (i.e., triazines, pharmaceutical compounds and endocrine disruptors) are considered target compounds in the WATERMIM project.

The project is funded by the European Commission in the 7th Framework Programme under grant agreement number 226524

Project duration 1 May 2009 - 30 April 2012

WATERMIM is partner in the Nano4water cluster

More information on the Nano4water cluster can be found on the website www.nano4water.eu