CAREER: Hybrid Nanostructures as Catalysts for Advanced Oxidation Processes: An Integrated Research and Education Plan Promoting Water Reuse and Sustainability

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It is a challenge for arid regions like southern California to develop and maintain a reliable domestic drinking water supply in light of projected population increases in the regions and presently overdrawn groundwater basins, drought, and climate change which is slated to reduce the Sierra snowpack by 40% by 2050. In California, this will require an increase in the treatment and reuse of municipal wastewater, much of which contains a plethora of organic pollutants such as hormones, pharmaceuticals, and endocrine-disrupting compounds. This research implements a novel approach to trapping and rendering harmless these compounds by exploring the potential of functionalized carbon nanotubes as tunable ozonation catalysts to degrade these and other organic pollutants. The benefit of this approach is that the nanotubes can be functioned into activated filters and membranes. A main goal of the research is to generate structure-activity relations to guide future design of hybrid nanomaterials for water purification. To achieve this, synthesis and detailed characterization of the functionalized carbon nanotubes and hybrid nanostructures in terms of their bulk structure and morphology, chemical composition, surface chemistry, and solution phase stability will be carried out using a wide array of state-of-the-art tools such as XPS and ATR-FTIR. Characterization will be followed by reactivity and performance testing in closed batch reactor systems using a range of model pollutants and chemistries relevant to water and wastewater treatment. Performance testing includes examination of the influence of matrix chemistry, how effective the nanomaterials are in removing organic matter in the effluent, mitigation of oxidation bi-products, and removal of dissolved organic carbon from secondary effluents. The broader impacts include societal benefits in the form of providing more reliable, safe, and sustainable water supplies. It will support an early career faculty member and train doctoral students at the host institution and one community college student from nearby Hispanic Serving Institution, Cal Poly Pomona. Students will be engaged in multi-disciplinary research that fosters an appreciation for the responsible development and use of nanomaterials. Efforts will be made to recruit students from groups traditionally under-represented in STEM fields to promote greater diversity in the science and technology workforce. Project outcomes will be incorporated into two undergraduate courses associated with the Nanotechnology major at the University of California, Riverside and will be disseminated to other University of California campuses. The project will also carry out an outreach program to raise public awareness and understanding of regional and global water crises.