Crude oil and hydrocarbon fuel spills are a perennial threat to aquatic environments. Inexpensive and sustainable sorbents are needed to mitigate the ecological harm of this pollution. To address this need, this study features a low‐density polysulfide polymer that is prepared by the direct reaction of sulfur and used cooking oils. Because both sulfur and cooking oils are hydrophobic, the polymer has an affinity for hydrocarbons such as crude oil and diesel fuel and can rapidly remove them from seawater. Through simple mechanical compression, the oil can be recovered and the polymer can be reused in oil spill remediation. The polysulfide is unique because it is prepared entirely from repurposed waste: sulfur is a by‐product of the petroleum industry and used cooking oil can be used as a comonomer. In this way, sulfur waste from the oil industry is used to make an effective sorbent for combatting pollution from that same sector.

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High sulfur content polymers are prepared through the copolymerization of sustainable triglycerides and sulfur. These products of “inverse vulcanization” contain 50% sulfur by mass and are evaluated in the removal of mercury from water. The structurally distinct triglycerides found in canola oil, castor oil, and rice bran oil are examined as co‐monomers to determine how each influences the rate and capacity of mercury uptake. An important discovery is that the high percentage of hydroxylated ricinoleic acid in castor oil improves both wetting and the rate of uptake of mercury(II) chloride into the polymer, in comparison with the polymers made from canola oil and rice bran oil. Detailed kinetic and isotherm modeling is carried out for all polymers for both inorganic and organic mercury sorption. All of the polymers are superior to elemental sulfur in their mercury capture ability. In terms of sustainability, this work advances the use of renewable monomers such as triglycerides sourced from plants and inexpensive industrial byproducts such as sulfur to make affordable mercury‐binding materials.

A polymer prepared by co-polymerisation of sulfur and canola oil removed Fe3+ from water. Microwave irradiation was convenient in promoting the polymerisation.

Inverse vulcanization provides dynamic and responsive materials made from elemental sulfur and unsaturated cross-linkers. These polymers have been used in av ariety of applicationss uch as energy storage, infrared optics, repairable materials, environmental remediation, and precision fertilizers. In spite of thesea dvances, there is an eed for methods to recycle and reprocess these polymers. In this study,p olymers prepared by inverse vulcanization are shown to undergo reactive compression molding. In this process, the reactive interfaces of sulfur polymers are brought into contact by mechanicalc ompression.U pon heating these molds at relatively low temperatures (% 100 8C), chemical bonding occurs at the polymer interfaces by SÀSm etathesis. This method of processing is distinct from previouss tudies on inverse vulcanization because the polymers examined in this study do not form al iquid phase when heated. Neither compression nor heatinga lone was sufficient to mold these polymers into new architectures, so this is an ew concept in the manipulation of sulfur polymers. Additionally,h igh-level ab initio calculations revealed that the weakest SÀSb ond in organic polysulfides decreases linearly in strength from as ulfur rank of 2t o4 ,b ut then remains constant at about 100kJmol À1 for highers ulfur rank. This is criticali nformation in engineering these polymers for SÀSm etathesis. Guidedb yt his insight, polymer repair,r ecycling, and repurposingi nto new composites was demonstrated.

An insulating composite was made from the sustainable building blocks wool, sulfur, and canola oil. In the first stage of the synthesis, inverse vulcanization was used to make a polysulfide polymer from the canola oil triglyceride and sulfur. This polymerization benefits from complete atom economy. In the second stage, the powdered polymer is mixed with wool, coating the fibers through electrostatic attraction. The polymer and wool mixture is then compressed with mild heating to provoke S--S metathesis in the polymer, which locks the wool in the polymer matrix. The wool fibers impart tensile strength, insulating properties, and flame resistance to the composite. All building blocks are sustainable or derived from waste and the composite is a promising lead on next--generation insulation for energy conservation.

Powdered activated carbon (PAC) is an economical sorbent for removing micropollutants from water, but it generates hazardous dust that is flammable and a respiration hazard. Additionally, the fine particles of PAC can cake and block filters and membranes, complicating its use in continuous processes. In this study, we present a sulfur polymer support for PAC that overcomes these problems. The blend of the sulfur polymer and PAC generates low dust and it does not block filters. The utility of the sorbent is demonstrated in the remediation of water contaminated with perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), persistent micropollutants that currently threaten water safety worldwide. Fundamental discoveries of PFOA self-assembly are also reported, as well as testing on a field sample of contaminated surface water.

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