Coacervation of oxidized glutathione with a cationic surfactant and the application in dye removal
Coacervation of oxidized glutathione(GSSG)and a cationic surfactant,didodecyldimethylammonium bromide(DDAB),was constructed mainly driven by the electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions.The pH-dependent coacervate of GSSG-DDAB(1∶4,mol/mol)was analyzed.Under acidic and neutral conditions,a turbid suspension of droplets is observed,and alkaline pH results in the phase separation of coacervates as the top phase.The coacervate phase exhibits good performance(extraction efficiency>85%)in extracting several dyes from water,including brilliant yellow,acid red 13,cresyl violet acetate,eriochrom blue SE,and 4-hydroxyazobenzene.The dyes are added into the suspension in acidic conditions.Then,the dyes are enriched and extracted along with the coacervates as the top phase when pH is adjusted to~10.Coacervation of GSSG with DDAB provides a simple approach to extract organic pollutants in wastewater treatment.