RAPID: Novel Functionalized Nanomaterials for Effective Remediation of Spilled Oil Contaminants in the Gulf of Mexico

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NON-TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION: This project uses novel materials to address an urgent need for de-contamination of petroleum products in the Gulf of Mexico. Petroleum is a mixture of several hydrocarbons, dissolved gas molecules, organic nitrogen compounds, organic oxygen compounds, organic heavy metallics, colloidal particles and several other products. A few volatile petroleum chemicals evaporate easily, while other chemical compounds that are easily dissolved in water remain for longer periods causing harm to all aquatic animals. So, keeping in view the complete remediation from organic contaminants arising due to the oil spill, this project investigates the integration of two novel materials such as bio-surfactants and photocatalysts for the removal of organic pollutants. The presence of the bio-surfactant will increase solubility of oils in water and could lead to higher oil degradation rates. The complete removal of organic compounds will be made possible by using a graphene-based photocatalyst nanomaterial. This de-contamination supports the cleaning of the organic products as well as organic-metals contaminants from sea water. This project also supports green technology because there are no residual products remaining in the sea water after the de-contamination process. More generally, this project stimulates students interest in de-contamination awareness and nanotechnology among the students interested in obtaining master?s and doctoral degrees on subjects related to both nanotechnology and remediation science. TECHNICAL DETAILS: After the catastrophic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, de-contamination efforts include the removal of even trace molecules from petroleum products. This project works towards developing a better understanding of the complete remediation of all organic contaminants. It integrates two technologies for the removal of organic pollutants using the biosurfactant and photocatalysts-containing graphene (photocatalysts with large surface area nanoshells and graphene-doped photocatalyst with or without graphene) particles. The presence of biosurfactants could increase solubility of oils in water by leading to higher oil degradation rates, whereas the complete removal of organic compounds could be made possible by graphene-based photocatalyst nanomaterials. With funding from this Grant for Rapid Response Research (RAPID), investigators at University of South Florida, Nanotechnology Research and Educational Center (NREC) are examining the efficacy of removing oil products from sea water. This RAPID project is also examining methods and materials to clean organic products as well as organic-metal contaminants from sea water. The project is comparing de-contamination of water collected from different affected regions.