L2M NSERC - Novel Photocatalytic Adsorbents for Wastewater Treatment

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The importance of clean water cannot be overemphasized. Globally, it is estimated that over 80% of wastewater is released to the environment without adequate treatment. This reduces global availability of clean water and depletes the water sources we rely on at an unsustainable pace. Our team has embarked on tackling this challenge through the design, development, and integration of a novel material technology solution with a focused mission to bridge the gap between the current state of effluents and the ability to meet effluent requirements. Our product is a range of novel, reusable, sunlight-activated, photocatalytic, mesoporous silica adsorbents designed to treat hard-to-degrade organic contaminants, heavy metals, and volatile emissions in a variety of wastewater treatment applications, including mining process water detoxification, agricultural run-off water treatment, and industrial effluent water treatment. The core of our patented material technology prototype is the engineered design and manufacturing of a mesoporous particle structure and doping it with a photocatalyst to accelerate surface adsorption and photocatalytic activities when exposed to pollutant bodies. Results from our proof-of-concept study establish the scientific basis of our technology, showing effective adsorption and degradation of crystal violet (an organic compound) in aqueous solution during UV irradiation as well as our technology's potential as a unique floating photocatalyst. Commercializing this research-based innovation requires deep-tech entrepreneurship, further refining our target market, conducting extensive primary market research, and building knowledge about our customers, stakeholders, and product/service end-users. The proposed project serves to facilitate the transition from functional verification in a laboratory environment (Technology Readiness Level 4) to verification in relevant industrial environments (Technology Readiness Level 5).