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

该项目旨在开发一种可持续的方式来降解废水中的持久性污染物。它将通过将不同的专业知识引入该项目来开发新的催化剂。这项新技术有可能利用阳光以绿色方式去除有毒和危险的污染物。药物化合物和杀虫剂的使用为社会带来了巨大的利益。然而，这些化学品存在于复杂的有机分子中，这些分子在体内或环境中长时间抵抗是有效的，但这些成分的持久性对环境构成风险。它们在水中积累，无法通过传统技术的污水处理厂完全去除。为了消除这些持久性污染物，必须使用具有足够能量的替代解决方案，以打破其稳定的化学键，加速其降解。一种选择是使用所谓的高级氧化工艺（AOP）。高级氧化程序是基于产生自由基分子，如羟基或超氧化物自由基。自由基是非常有活力的，并迅速与周围的任何其他分子反应，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，只有水和二氧化碳作为产物保留下来。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。一种可持续的产生自由基的方法是使用半导体材料。半导体材料可以被太阳光激发以产生电子/空穴对。两者都可以与水和氧气反应，产生可用于去除持久性污染物的自由基。目前的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博士是一位电子学专家，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，我们将联合收割机的半导体材料与有机脂质。这些有机脂质含有铁，可以与过氧化氢反应产生额外的羟基自由基。以这种方式，在半导体中产生的一些将重组的电子将用于产生穿过脂质膜的自由基并避免重组。为了了解如何附着脂质和行为，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发展目标6，清洁水和卫生，14，水下生活，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）。通过提出新的，这一提议将有助于英国经济和社会的可持续发展。这项研究的成功将为废水处理行业带来新的视角，并对社会和环境产生影响。

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.