Advanced Nanofluidic and Microfluidic Strategies for Sustainable Water Treatment

用于可持续水处理的先进纳流体和微流体策略

• 批准号: 2751912
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: University of Bath
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Studentship
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2022 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=studentship-2751912
• 关键词: Advanced; Nanofluidic; Microfluidic; Strategies; Sustainable

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.

清洁水和卫生设施是第六个可持续发展目标。本研究将探讨纳米流控和微流控装置在水处理中的应用。纳米流体和微流体装置的小尺寸使反应更有效，可以用更少的能量去除复杂的有机物质（有机污染物）。微流控通道具有高的表面体积比，这有利于表面效应而不是体积效应，并提高了选择性和性能。使用重力驱动的微流体虹吸管，源水可以依靠静水压力流动，在那里它可以完全分布并形成薄薄的水化层，而不需要耗能泵。新型微流控虹吸管配置有一个“天鹅喙”，并采用一条多孔基板，以确保水样品的均匀流动。此外，还将探讨扩大重力驱动微流控虹吸管的策略。我们还打算将这一策略与太阳能光催化结合起来，利用阳光反应并降解水中的有机物。与传统反应器相比，光催化微反应器允许更精确地控制性能变量和整个反应区域更均匀的辐射行为。微反应器还具有多次重复使用的能力，同时节省了昂贵的多相催化剂材料，使其在水处理中效率更高。在这项研究中，多种催化剂，包括二氧化钛、氧化锌和聚（苯乙烯-丁二烯）-HCMP，将被改性并测试它们在复杂有机化合物分解中的适用性。这些催化剂具有化学稳定性高、无毒、成本低、能隙宽等优点。这项工作将需要对不同污染物的降解进行实验研究，包括废水基质中药物来源的污染物，如双氯芬酸、四环素、安替比林、卡马西平等。综上所述，该项目将设计一个光催化反应器系统，在重力驱动的微流控虹吸管的帮助下进行水净化，以期为偏远地区的咸水淡化提供一种具有成本效益和前景的方法。利用太阳模拟器研究并优化了导致纳米和微器件中持久性污染物有效光催化降解的操作参数。不同的策略固定化催化剂也将进行研究。该计划将调查结合这两种策略、纳米和微设备和光催化的困难。例如，最令人着迷的光催化剂是固体颗粒，它可以阻塞纳米和微流体装置的微小通道。该项目的成功开发将提供一种可以在发展中国家实施的尖端水处理方法。