Environmentally friendly porous materials for the recovery and revaluation of metals reclaimed from contaminated water

• Grant number: 22/06829-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: July 01, 2022
• End date: July 16, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Materials and Metallurgical Engineering - Nonmetallic Materials
• Principal Investigator: Lucia Helena Innocentini Mei
• Grantee: Luciana Prazeres Mazur
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Engenharia Química (FEQ). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 20/13703-3 - Environmentally friendly porous materials for the recovery and revaluation of metals reclaimed from contaminated water, AP.TEM

Abstract

Water is a highly crucial natural resource, and its quality is one of humanity's most significant concerns. The anthropogenic pollution of water resources with metal ions has generated catastrophic effects for humans and the environment, resulting in a continuous search for efficient and sustainable methods of removing these metallic contaminants. This interdisciplinary project involves different knowledge areas and aims to develop porous biodegradable materials based on low cost, environmentally friendly methodologies, analyzed by Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), and applicable on a large scale. Their adsorption and desorption efficiencies will bestudied: the recovery of different metal ions (Cd2+, total chromium - mainly Cr6+, Cu+2, Mn2+, Ni2+, Zn2+). After using and disposing of the material, they can reduce environmental issuesrelated to the metal's contamination. Aerogels, hydrogels, and membranes, prepared frombiodegradable and/or renewable raw materials, will be incorporated with nanocellulose andnanoclay with high adsorption to increase their adsorption capacity. Its different properties,performances, biodegradation, and ecotoxicity will be characterized, seeking to investigate its environmental impacts from beginning to end in the production chain. The current materials used in water treatment do not entirely remove metals and are incinerated after their use. Thus, thisproject aims to develop porous materials with a high capacity to purify wastewater, recovermetals from contaminated water, and reuse these post-consumer-developed materials foragriculture application, minimizing severe environmental problems. (AU)

Scientific publications

(The scientific publications listed on this page originate from the Web of Science or SciELO databases. Their authors have cited FAPESP grant or fellowship project numbers awarded to Principal Investigators or Fellowship Recipients, whether or not they are among the authors. This information is collected automatically and retrieved directly from those bibliometric databases.)

MODOLON, HENRIQUE BORBA; TEIXEIRA, LUYZA BORTOLOTTO; MAZUR, LUCIANA PRAZERES; SANTOS, PEDRO HENRIQUE; CAMANI, PAULO HENRIQUE; MEI, LUCIA HELENA INNOCENTINI; WERMUTH, TIAGO BENDER; MONTEDO, OSCAR RUBEM KLEGUES; ZIMMERMANN, MATHEUS V. G.; ARCARO, SABRINA; et al. Electrospun adsorbent membrane of PLA containing chitosan for toxic metal ions removal from aqueous solution: Effect of chitosan incorporation. International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, v. 297, p. 14-pg., 2025-01-16. (22/06829-6, 23/11229-0, 20/13703-3)

MAZUR, LUCIANA PRAZERES; FERREIRA, RAFAELA REIS; BARBOSA, RENNAN FELIX DA SILVA; SANTOS, PEDRO HENRIQUE; DA COSTA, TALLES BARCELOS; VIEIRA, MELISSA GURGEL ADEODATO; DA SILVA, ADRIANO; ROSA, DERVAL DOS SANTOS; MEI, LUCIA HELENA INNOCENTINI. Development of novel biopolymer membranes by electrospinning as potential adsorbents for toxic metal ions removal from aqueous solution. JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR LIQUIDS, v. 395, p. 19-pg., 2023-12-21. (20/13703-3, 21/14714-1, 21/08296-2, 22/11133-0, 22/06829-6, 22/01382-3)