SOLAR DEGRADATION OF POLLUTANTS OF EMERGING CONCERN: PHOTOREACTORS AND INNOVATIVE TREATMENTS

• Grant number: 18/21271-6
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Duration: February 01, 2019 - July 31, 2021
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Chemical Engineering - Chemical Process Industries
• Principal Investigator: Antonio Carlos Silva Costa Teixeira
• Grantee: Antonio Carlos Silva Costa Teixeira
• Host Institution: Escola Politécnica (EP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Bruno Ramos ; Cátia Alexandra Leça Graça ; Fabiane de Jesus Trindade ; Sergio Brochsztain

Abstract

Micropollutants of emerging concern have become an important technological challenge to be faced by 21st century engineers. Pesticides, pharmaceuticals, hormones, surfactants, personal care products and other anthropogenic substances are evermore present in aquatic ecosystems and even in water supplies, and have been related to adverse effects to the biota and to human health. To overcome this challenge, it is necessary to develop feasible and attractive technologies to minimize their discharge. A viable alternative involves the use of sunlight, an energy source able to degrade, with minimal environmental footprints and low cost, organic pollutants in aqueous streams. In this direction, this project proposes the development of advanced oxidation processes optimized and tailored for the maximum utilization of the sunlight spectrum, and which are able to efficiently overcome the intrinsic limitations of this natural light source. To achieve these goals, it is proposed (i) the development of a hybrid flat plate photoreactor able to operate autonomously to supplement the intermittence of solar radiation; (ii) the optimization of homogeneous photocatalytic processes using persulfate salts adapted for sunlight absorption; and (iii) the design of novel ZnO-Ag0 and WO3-Ag0 nanoparticle photocatalysts with optimized properties and red-shifted absorption spectra. The project aims at achieving original scientific and technological contributions in the context of growing concern over the quality of water resources. (AU)

Scientific publications

(6)

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

DE ARAUJO GUSMAO, CAROLINA; PALHARIM, PRISCILA HASSE; RAMOS, BRUNO; TEIXEIRA, ANTONIO CARLOS SILVA COSTA. Enhancing the visible-light photoactivity of silica-supported TiO2 for the photocatalytic treatment of pharmaceuticals in water. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, OCT 2021. (18/21271-6)

RAMOS, BRUNO; SILVA, ARTHUR O. G.; TEIXEIRA, ANTONIO C. S. C.. Immobilization of ZnO nanoparticles onto glass spheres: effects of annealing temperature, zinc oxide concentration, and number of coating rounds on the photocatalytic activity under visible light. Brazilian Journal of Chemical Engineering, SEP 2021. (18/21271-6, 15/21421-0)

PALHARIM, PRISCILA HASSE; FUSARI, BEATRIZ LARA DIEGO DOS REIS; RAMOS, BRUNO; OTUBO, LARISSA; TEIXEIRA, ANTONIO CARLOS SILVA COSTA. Effect of HCl and HNO3 on the synthesis of pure and silver-based WO(3 )for improved photocatalytic activity under sunlight. JOURNAL OF PHOTOCHEMISTRY AND PHOTOBIOLOGY A-CHEMISTRY, v. 422, JAN 1 2022. (18/21271-6)

RAMOS, BRUNO; CARNEIRO, JOAO GABRIEL M.; NAGAMATI, LEANDRO ISSAMU; TEIXEIRA, ANTONIO CARLOS S. C.. Development of intensified flat-plate packed-bed solar reactors for heterogeneous photocatalysis. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, v. 28, n. 19, SI, JAN 2021. (18/21271-6)

CASTANHEIRA, BRUNA; OTUBO, LARISSA; OLIVEIRA, CRISTIANO L. P.; MONTES, ROSA; QUINTANA, JOSE BENITO; RODIL, ROSARIO; BROCHSZTAIN, SERGIO; VILAR, VITOR J. P.; TEIXEIRA, ANTONIO CARLOS S. C.. Functionalized mesoporous silicas SBA-15 for heterogeneous photocatalysis towards CECs removal from secondary urban wastewater. Chemosphere, v. 287, n. 1, JAN 2022. (18/21271-6, 16/05496-2)

CUNHA, ISADORA L. C.; TEIXEIRA, ANTONIO CARLOS S. C.. Degradation of pesticides present in tomato rinse water by direct photolysis and UVC/H2O2: optimization of process conditions through sequential Doehlert design. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, v. 28, n. 19, SI, p. 24191-24205, MAY 2021. (18/21271-6)