NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY In this project, Dr. Maria Soledad Peresin aims to unlock the potential of certain components of plant or animal biomass to design biomaterials by advancing the fundamental understanding of naturally occurring systems to address critical issues of societal concern, such as the removal of emerging contaminants from drinking water. Polymers are natural or man-made chemicals that are composed of building blocks of smaller repeating molecules, as one would picture individual Legos® within a larger structure. Natural polymers, such as cellulose (from wood, soybean hulls, cotton, etc.), chitosan (from the outer shell of shellfish) and alginates (from algae) are sustainable and renewable resources that are an essential component of a circular economy, aimed at minimizing waste. Combining properties of different natural polymers is a way to develop a new generation of products that may replace traditional, non-renewable fossil fuel-based materials. This project will focus on understanding, developing and using renewable, natural polymers to design efficient and sustainable adsorbents, which are highly porous structures for the removal of contaminants. Dr. Peresin proposes an extensive study of a variety of polymer systems to maximize their potential adsorption capacity for removing contaminants from water bodies in different environmental conditions. Adsorption capacity of the polymers’ assemblies and their performance will be assessed using three model eme