Application of Biomass-derived Nanocomposite Materials for Photocatalytic Degradation of Hydroxychloroquine Sulfate and Escitalopram

• Grant number: 24/10311-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate (Direct)
• Start date: April 01, 2025
• End date: March 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Sanitary Engineering - Environmental Sanitation
• Principal Investigator: Ivana Cesarino
• Grantee: Francisco Contini Barreto
• Supervisor: Quan He
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Agronômicas (FCA). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Botucatu. Botucatu , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Dalhousie University, Truro, Canada
• Associated to the scholarship: 22/03334-6 - Use of reduced graphene oxide based sensors for analysis of emerging contaminants after bioremediation treatment, BP.DD

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused millions of deaths around the world. In order to manage the disease, numerous drugs were tested; however, even without proper scientific evidence for the treatment of COVID-19, some of them were widely consumed worldwide. Another problem highlighted during this period was the increase in cases of depression and anxiety caused by contamination prevention measures, which increased the sale of antidepressants. The excessive consumption of these medicines exposes the world's fauna, flora, and population to the risk of contamination, and traditional water treatment methods are not capable of treating them efficiently. This project aims to remediate water contaminated with chloroquine and escitalopram using renewable and cheap materials. Furthermore, these materials will later be used to manufacture greener and more sustainable electrochemical sensors for monitoring contaminants to ensure a safe water supply.