Waste-to-Treat-Waste: Using Salvaged Materials to Catalyse Heterogeneous Electro-Fenton for the Remediation Emerging Contaminants

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I started my PhD at Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur as a complete novice, naïve to the complexities of scientific research. While I had a strong interest in wastewater treatment, it stemmed more from curiosity and my past academic experiences than any deep understanding of the field. At the time, I had limited exposure to the ongoing advancements in wastewater engineering. The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns compounded the challenge, as I couldn't access lab facilities or interact with my peers in person.

Fortunately, my supervisor provided a starting point by assigning me the broad research topic of Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs). Given the electrochemistry background of my research lab, I developed a deep interest in electrochemical AOPs, particularly the electro-Fenton (EF) process.

The EF process has been gaining wider attention due to its robust performance in eliminating recalcitrant pollutants. When combined with heterogeneous catalysis, the system becomes even more promising. However, despite the technical superiority of sophisticated catalysts used in heterogeneous EF systems, I often felt their use in wastewater treatment seemed impractical. In countries like India, where a significant portion of the population lives on a low-income bracket, expensive wastewater treatment technologies would struggle to find their way into mainstream infrastructure. This realization sparked an idea: what if we could repurpose discarded waste materials to create heterogeneous Fenton catalysts instead of relying on expensive virgin materials? My team and I set out to explore this.

In this work, my co-workers and I utilized naturally growing algae to derive carbon and salvaged iron particles from discarded beverage cans. We achieved a metal-carbon amalgamation through electrocoagulation, leaching metal ions, which adhered to the floating algal biomass. We then pyrolyzed the mixture, avoiding the use of chemical leaching processes that typically produce hazardous liquid waste.

The resulting Fe-carbon composite exhibited excellent electrocatalytic activity, leading to the rapid degradation of our model micropollutant, dimethyl phthalate (DMP). Notably, this waste-derived catalyst retained its activity even under simulated real-world conditions, demonstrating a high degree of DMP removal and mineralization efficiency while treating actual sewage. The catalyst also showed excellent long-term performance and minimal metallic leaching, ensuring no secondary pollution occurred.

I sincerely appreciate the contributions of my co-authors, Mr Santosh Kumar, a dedicated biotechnologist who nurtured the algal cultures, and Mr Anil Dhanda, a motivated bioelectrochemist who performed in-depth electrochemical analyses to unravel the electrocatalytic behaviour of the synthesized catalyst. I am also immensely grateful to my supervisors, Prof. Makarand M. Ghangrekar and Prof. Sovik Das, whose guidance and expertise helped me navigate the intricacies of this investigation.

Nevertheless, there is room for improvement, particularly in optimizing the synthesis procedure and the catalytic architecture to match the performance of more intricate, state-of-the-art heterogeneous electrocatalysts currently being explored. In gist, our study highlights the potential of salvaged functional materials for catalytic environmental remediation, embracing a 'waste-to-treat-waste' concept that aligns with circular economy principles and contributes to broader sustainability goals.

By Rishabh Raj (First and lead author)

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Environmental Civil Engineering
Technology and Engineering > Civil Engineering > Environmental Civil Engineering
Sustainability
Physical Sciences > Earth and Environmental Sciences > Environmental Sciences > Sustainability

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