Remediation technologies using cyclodextrins: an overview (original) (raw)

2012, Environmental Chemistry Letters

Nowadays, the human activity and the modern way of life are responsible for the increase of the environmental pollution. Industrial processes generate a variety of molecules that may pollute air, water, and soils due to negative impacts for ecosystems and humans. The development of innovative remediation technologies has thus emerged as a significant environmental priority. Within this scope, supramolecular chemistry, which is a recent discipline, could provide solutions. In particular, cyclodextrins (CDs) are a family of cyclic oligosaccharides having a lowpolarity cavity in which organic compounds of appropriate shape and size can form inclusion complexes. This unique property makes them suitable for application in environmental protection. Here, we review the use of cyclodextrins and cyclodextrin derivatives in remediation technologies. Accordingly, the present review shows the advantages of using CDs in soil, groundwater, wastewater, and atmosphere remediation. Resulting processes are highly versatile, since the complexing ability of CD is applicable to a wide range of pollutants. They may also been referred to green processes, according to the CD innocuity. Moreover, as inclusion phenomena correspond to reversible equilibriums, a major trend in the CD environmental application field is to develop methods, which combine supramolecular chemistry and irreversible processes, as advanced oxidation or biodegradation. Such processes might lead to a complete remediation of pollutants and eventually to the CD recycling. Keywords Cyclodextrins Á Remediation Á Soil Á Water Á Atmosphere Á Degradation Á Pollutants Hence, the development of more efficient and less costly remediation technologies is required for the global environmental preservation. Organic pollutants encountered in air, soil, and water, for example, Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs), Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), pesticides, or dyes are usually slightly soluble or insoluble in water. For that reason, it is necessary to use solubilizing agents that have affinity with these various pollutants and that are