Comparative study on the urea removal by different nanoporous materials

The current hemodialysis system is not efficient in removing uremic toxins, especially urea. Huge amount of fresh dialysate is required for a dialysis treatment. Poor uremic toxins removal result in toxic waste accumulation in the patients' bodies, which would lead to cardiovascular diseases and death. Nanoporous materials with excellent pore characteristics and adsorption capacity could be introduced to the hemodialysis system to enhance the urea removal efficiency and regenerate the dialysate. In this study, the viability of using nanoporous materials i.e., oil palm biomass-based activated carbon and mesoporous silica for urea removal was explored. Results indicate that the sulfuric acid-treated activated carbon fiber, palm kernel shell-based activated carbon and amine functionalized silica yielded high urea adsorption capacity. The presence of surface functional groups and excess surface area facilitated the urea adsorption by the synthesized nanoporous materials.