Advanced Nanofluidic and Microfluidic Strategies for Sustainable Water Treatment

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Clean water and Sanitation is the sixth Sustainable Development Goals. This research will investigate the use of nanofluidic and microfluidic devices for water treatment. Nanofluidic and microfluidic devices' small sizes enable more effective reactions that could remove complex organic material (organic pollutants) with less energy. Microfluidic channels have a high surface-to-volume ratio, which favours surface effects over volumetric ones and boosts selectivity and performance. Using a gravity-driven microfluidic siphon, source water can flow depending on hydrostatic pressure, where it can fully distribute and form a thin hydration layer with no need for energy-consuming pumps. The novel microfluidic siphon is configured with a "swan beak" and employs a strip of porous substrate that ensures a homogeneous flow of aqueous samples. Also, strategies to scale up gravity-driven microfluidic siphons will be explored. We also aim to combine this strategy with solar photocatalysis, which uses sunlight to react and degrade the organic matter from water. Compared to traditional reactors, photocatalytic microreactors allow for more exact control of performance variables and more uniform radiation behaviour throughout the whole reaction region. Microreactors also have the ability to be used in several iterations while conserving expensive heterogeneous catalyst materials, making them efficient in water treatment. In the study, a variety of catalysts, including titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, and poly(phenylenebutadinylene)-HCMP, will be modified and tested for their suitability in the breakdown of complex organic compounds. These catalysts proffer several advantages, such as high chemical stability, non-toxicity, low-cost, and wide band-gap energy. The work will entail experimental investigations of the degradation of different contaminants, including those of pharmaceutical origin such as Diclofenac, Tetracycline, Antipyrine, Carbamazepine, etc in wastewater matrices.In summary, the project would design a photocatalytic reactor system for water purification with the help of gravity-driven microfluidic siphons in a bid to provide a cost-effective, and promising method for desalinating saline water in remote locations. The operation parameters that lead to efficient photocatalytic degradation of the persistent pollutants in nano and microdevices will be studied and optimized using a solar simulator. Different strategies to immobilize the catalyst will also be investigated. The initiative will investigate the difficulties of combining both strategies, nano and microdevices and photocatalysis. The most fascinating photocatalysts, for instance, are solid particles that can obstruct the tiny channels of nano- and microfluidic devices. A successful development of the project will present a cutting-edge approach to water treatment that could be implemented in developing countries.