Developing and disseminating new technologies for environmental remediation of emerging contaminants

• Grant number: 23/14265-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: November 01, 2023
• End date: September 10, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Ailton Jose Moreira
• Grantee: Vinicius Marques Ferreira
• Host Institution: Instituto de Química (IQ). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Araraquara. Araraquara , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 22/06219-3 - Developing and disseminating new technologies for environmental remediation of emerging contaminants, AP.GR

Abstract

The class of emerging contaminants, which include pharmaceutical residues and pesticides, has been widely studied dueto their presence and toxicity in different environmental ecosystems. Due to their proven risks, European countries andthe USA have created mechanisms and standards to deal with, monitor, and control their presence in the environment.However, Brazil, which has a "strong" pharmaceutical industry and is one of the largest consumers of agriculturalpesticides in the world, has not shown the same concerns regarding this global problem. In this scenario, expandingactions aimed at the development of new technologies for treatment, pollution control and environmental monitoring ofthese compounds are necessary. Therefore, this project presents a proposal for a public-public partnership for thedevelopment of new technologies aimed at the treatment, control, and monitoring of emerging contaminants in a realenvironment. Inspired by the solar platform in Almeria-ES for the treatment of wastewater, the proposal aims at fieldexperimentation, with the potential construction of an experimental solar mini-platform at the ETE in the municipality ofGavião Peixoto - SP, located in the mesoregion of Araraquara - SP. The experimental stations fed by real effluent andsurface water will be used to develop research aimed at the environmental remediation of emerging contaminants.Combined type solar reactors will be installed in the effluent stream previously treated by biological processes, and theefficiency of solar photocatalysis will be investigated using different advanced oxidation (AOP) and adsorption processes.The photocatalyst nanomaterials will be synthesized by the hydrothermal method assisted by microwave (MW), ultraviolet(UV), visible (Vis) radiation proposed for the first time by the responsible researcher. The adsorbent materials will bebased on high porosity carbon and molecular imprinting polymers (MIP) for application in the removal of emergingpollutants and sample preparation processes. The public-public partnership will be an opportunity to, in loco, promote thedissemination of technical-scientific knowledge on the proposed theme to new researchers, technical professionals, andprimary-medium education students. In the real environment of the ETE and an existing Ecological Park in the respectivemunicipality, local and regional public schools at basic, medium, and technical levels, in addition to society in general, willbe encouraged to visit the spaces as an activity of extension.