Water Purification
Micropollutants have raised concerns regarding environmental and human health. Current wastewater treatment methods are insufficient to remove these small pollutants. In our research group, we are developing new materials to remove micropollutants such as pharmaceuticals from wastewater. So far, we have studied the use of MXenes for this purpose (see the images below). In our research group, we are focusing on the following topics among many:
- Adsorption of pharmaceuticals: The first step in water purification is usually to capture the pharmaceuticals on to our material’s surface. For this purpose, we need to develop high surface area materials that have favorable binding sites for the pharmaceuticals.
- Fate of pharmaceuticals: One of the key questions in water purification is what happens to the pollutants e.g. after the adsorption. We are studying if it’s reasonable to degrade the pharmaceuticals directly in the flowing wastewater to create less toxic products or is it more efficient e.g. to burn them during the regeneration of the adsorbents.
- Recyclable materials: One of the main goals is to create such materials that could be used for over and over again to purify water. The research in this topic focuses on matching suitable regeneration techniques with the used adsorbents and the adsorbed pollutants.
