MANGANESE-DOPED MAGNETIC BIOCHAR IN THE HETEROGENEOUS PHOTO-FENTON PROCESS FOR CAFFEINE DEGRADATION

• Grant number: 25/13934-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: October 01, 2025
• End date: September 30, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Analytical Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Jany Hellen Ferreira de Jesus
• Grantee: Pietra Precioso Figueiredo Alves
• Host Institution: Instituto de Química (IQ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Despite the improvements in quality of life brought about by industrial and technological development, new issues-such as the presence of emerging contaminants (ECs) in aquatic environments-have emerged as major environmental challenges today. The primary route of these compounds into aquatic systems is the discharge of effluents from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). In this context, advanced treatment technologies have been investigated, particularly Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs), with special emphasis on the heterogeneous photo-Fenton process, which has stood out for its ability to operate over a broader pH range and allow catalyst regeneration, avoiding the generation of iron sludge at the end of the process. Therefore, this project aims to study the feasibility and efficiency of the heterogeneous photo-Fenton process using iron-based materials (magnetite and its manganese-doped form) supported on biochar derived from the pyrolysis of peanut shells for the degradation of caffeine-a model organic compound-by combining adsorption and advanced oxidation processes.