Development of silver vanadate crystals (AgVO3) modified with electron beam irradiation aiming the chemical degradation of organic pollutants

• Grant number: 22/09711-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: August 01, 2022
• End date: July 31, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Physical-Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Elson Longo da Silva
• Grantee: João Victor Bergamasco Gremaschi
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Exatas e de Tecnologia (CCET). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 13/07296-2 - CDMF - Center for the Development of Functional Materials, AP.CEPID

Abstract

The increase in the generation of effluents resulting from the development of agribusiness, industrial, and the discrepant increase in population growth generates environmental impacts on water bodies. Even considering the treatment processes carried out, many of them only cover the disinfection of raw underground waters that are not safe in the sanitary field, raising the need to inactivate these pollutants, especially emerging organic pollutants, such as medicines, in clinical treatments, in preventive medicine and diagnostic aids. Developing materials with photocatalytic potential and antimicrobial activity, such as silver vanadate (AgVO3), are very promising to be applied in the degradation process of these pollutants. Cheap and efficient technology is the photocatalysis process, which by oxi-reduction reactions induced by artificial or natural light, characterized by an advanced oxidative process that occurs on the surface of semiconductors. Thus, the modification of the surface morphology of the particles from the electron beam irradiation (EBI) favors the formation of metallic Ag nanoparticles and the generation of new photocatalytic sites, with an increase in the photoactive species. The structural characterization and the analysis of toxicity and total organic carbon (TOC) of the by-products generated from the photocatalysis processes in the degradation of organic pollutants will evaluate the catalytic potential of AgVO3 materials before and after irradiation for the complete mineralization of organic pollutants with the formation of CO2 and water or transforming them into less harmful and much safer substances to be released into water bodies, making the method effective and sustainable for application in the remediation of contaminated water.(AU)