BOOSTING SEMICONDUCTORS: FOR PHOTOCATALYTIC WATER TREATMENT (BO-SE)

升压半导体：用于光催化水处理 (BO-SE)

• 批准号: EP/Y003063/1
• 负责人: Antonio Expósito
• 金额: $ 20.46万
• 依托单位: University of Bath
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2024
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2024 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=EP%2FY003063%2F1
• 关键词: BOOSTING; SEMICONDUCTORS; PHOTOCATALYTIC; WATER; TREATMENT

This project aims to develop a sustainable way of degrading persistent pollutants from wastewater. It will do so by bringing different expertise into the project to develop new catalysts. This new technology has the potential to remove toxic and dangerous pollutants to the environment in a green way by using sunlight.The use of pharmaceutical compounds and pesticides has brought immense benefits to society. However, those chemicals consist in complex organic molecules that are made to resist for long periods of time in the bodies or the environment to be efficient, but the persistence of such components supposes a risk to the environment. They accumulate in water and cannot be completely removed by traditional technology wastewater treatment plants. Thus, they reach rivers and lakes and negatively affect the biota.In order to remove those persistent pollutants, it is necessary to use alternative solutions with enough energy to break their stable chemical bonds and accelerate their degradation. One option is using the called Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs). AOPs are based on generating radical molecules, such as hydroxyl or superoxide radicals. Radicals are very energetic and quickly react with any other molecule around them, including the molecules of persistent pollutants. During the reaction, the pollutant releases electrons to the radical. In this process, the different chemical bonds break and generate intermediate by-products until finally, only water and carbon dioxide remain as a product. The process of transforming the persistent organic pollutant into water and CO2 is called mineralisation.A sustainable method to generate radicals is using semiconductor materials. The semiconductors materials can be excited by sunlight to generate electron/hole pairs. Both can react with water and oxygen to produce radicals that can be used for the removal of persistent pollutants. The challenges with the current semiconductor materials are that they are not active with sunlight and that the pair and electrons recombine instead of being used in productive reactions.This project aims to investigate how to change the material structure of semiconductor materials. Dr Exposito is an expert in photocatalysis and by adding elements like phosphorous or oxygen to the structure, he will promote the generation of electron/hole pairs. Furthermore, to avoid recombination, we will combine the semiconductor materials with organic lipids. These organic lipids will contain iron that can react with hydrogen peroxide to produce extra hydroxyl radicals. In this way, some electrons generated in the semiconductor that would recombine will be used to generate radicals through the lipid membrane and avoid recombination. To understand how to attach the lipids and the behaviour, this project will promote collaboration with Dr Tse, a global leader in lipid membranes.The success of this project would contribute to directly to UN sustainable goals 6, Clean Water and Sanitation, and 14, Life Below Water, and indirectly to others like Sustainable Cities and Communities (11) or Responsible Consumption and Production (12).By proposing new, green ways of removing persistent pollutants from water, this proposal will contribute to a more sustainable UK's economy and society. The success of this research would bring new perspectives to the wastewater treatment sector, with societal and environmental impacts.

该项目旨在开发一种可持续地降解废水中持久性污染物的方法。它将通过在该项目中引入不同的专业知识来开发新催化剂来做到这一点。这项新技术有可能利用阳光以绿色的方式去除有毒和危险的环境污染物。药物化合物和农药的使用给社会带来了巨大的效益。然而，这些化学物质存在于复杂的有机分子中，它们被制成在体内或环境中长期抵抗的有效成分，但这些成分的持久性假定会对环境构成风险。它们会积聚在水中，传统技术的污水处理厂无法完全去除它们。因此，它们会到达河流和湖泊，对生物产生负面影响。为了去除这些持久性污染物，有必要使用具有足够能量的替代溶液来打破它们稳定的化学键，加速它们的降解。一种选择是使用所谓的高级氧化工艺(AOPS)。AOPS的基础是产生自由基分子，如羟基或超氧自由基。自由基能量很强，能迅速与周围的任何分子发生反应，包括持久性污染物的分子。在反应过程中，污染物向自由基释放电子。在这个过程中，不同的化学键断裂并产生中间副产物，直到最后，只剩下水和二氧化碳作为产物。将持久性有机污染物转化为水和二氧化碳的过程称为矿化作用。一种可持续的产生自由基的方法是使用半导体材料。半导体材料可以在阳光的激发下产生电子/空穴对。两者都能与水和氧气反应，产生可用于去除持久性污染物的自由基。目前半导体材料面临的挑战是，它们在阳光下不活跃，电子对和电子重新结合，而不是用于生产性反应。本项目旨在研究如何改变半导体材料的材料结构。Exposito博士是光催化方面的专家，通过在结构中添加磷或氧等元素，他将促进电子/空穴对的产生。此外，为了避免复合，我们将半导体材料与有机脂结合在一起。这些有机脂质将含有铁，可以与过氧化氢反应产生额外的羟基自由基。通过这种方式，半导体中产生的一些会重新结合的电子将被用来通过类脂膜产生自由基，从而避免重新结合。为了了解如何将脂质和行为结合在一起，该项目将促进与全球脂质膜领导者谢博士的合作。该项目的成功将直接有助于联合国可持续目标6(清洁水和卫生)和14(水下生命)，并间接有助于其他目标，如可持续城市和社区(11)或负责任的消费和生产(12)。通过提出从水中去除持久性污染物的新的绿色方法，该提议将有助于更可持续的英国经济和社会。这项研究的成功将给废水处理部门带来新的视角，对社会和环境产生影响。