Author(s):
1. Pavle Lončar, Faculty of Technology - University of East Sarajevo, Republic of Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina
2. Vladan Mićić, Republic of Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina
3. Ivan Ristić, Univerzitet u Novom Sadu, Tehnološki fakultet, Novi Sad, Serbia
4. Nebojša Vasiljević, Faculty of Technology - University of East Sarajevo, Republic of Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Abstract:
Water pollution is one of the major global and regional environmental challenges facing modern society. The presence of heavy metals, suspended solids, organic pollutants, and colloidal impurities in industrial and municipal wastewater necessitates the development of efficient, selective, and economically sustainable technologies for their removal. Conventional water treatment methods are often insufficiently effective in removing specific and persistent pollutants, which has shifted the focus of the scientific community toward the development of advanced materials. In this context, polymeric materials, particularly polymers based on acrylic monomers, are of considerable importance due to their chemical tunability, high affinity for ionic and polar species, and the possibility of precise structural control. The aim of this study is to provide a comprehensive overview of the theoretical foundations underlying the application of acrylic polymers in water treatment, as well as to present experimental investigations into the synthesis of pure acrylic polymers and copolymers of acrylic acid and maleic anhydride, with particular emphasis on microwave-assisted synthesis. The synthesized polymers and copolymers were thoroughly characterized using FTIR, DSC, XRD, and viscometric methods. The results confirmed successful (co)polymerization, controlled molar mass, and the formation of structures exhibiting pronounced intermolecular interactions. Based on the overall findings, it may be concluded that microwave-assisted synthesis of polyacrylate (co)polymers represents a sustainable, environmentally friendly, and economically viable approach to the development of functional materials for water treatment and the protection of industrial equipment.

Key words:
adsorption,polymeric materials,water treatment,synthesis

Thematic field:
SYMPOSIUM C - Water

Date of abstract submission:
22.07.2026.

Conference:
Contemporary Materials 2026 - Savremeni Materijali

Applied paper from author