Utilities Tech Outlook Weekly Brief
Be first to read the latest tech news, Industry Leader's Insights, and CIO interviews of medium and large enterprises exclusively from Utilities Tech Outlook
Utilities Tech Outlook | Monday, December 12, 2022
Nanoparticles can efficiently break down pollutants and are magnetic, which makes them easily recoverable for reuse, thereby using this approach as an effective method to clean wastewater treatment filters.
FREMONT, CA: Membrane filters require less energy to purify water, making them popular for wastewater treatment. To maintain these materials in the highest quality condition, they are frequently cleaned with large amounts of strong chemicals. However, some of these agents destroy the membranes in the process. Recently, researchers have developed reusable nanoparticle catalysts that amalgamate glucose to help efficiently segregate contaminants inside these filters without harming them.
Wastewater filters are unclogged with strong acids, bases, or oxidants. Oxidants with chlorine, such as bleach, can break down the most stubborn organic debris. The disadvantage is that they damage polyamide membranes present in commercial nanofiltration systems and also generate toxic byproducts. Another alternative to bleach is using hydrogen peroxide, which decomposes contaminants at a slower rate. Scientists have attempted to combine hydrogen peroxide with iron oxide to form hydroxyl radicals that can enhance the efficiency of hydrogen peroxide in a process known as the Fenton reaction.
Stay ahead of the industry with exclusive feature stories on the top companies, expert insights and the latest news delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe today.
A challenge to carrying out this process is the requirement of extra hydrogen peroxide and acid to clean filters which causes financial and environmental costs. Using enzyme glucose oxidase is a method to eliminate these additional chemicals, which simultaneously form hydrogen peroxide and gluconic acid from glucose and oxygen. Hence, researchers combined glucose oxidase and iron oxide nanoparticles into a system that catalyses the Fenton-based breakdown of pollutants, creating an efficient cleaning facility for membrane filters.
Traditional wastewater treatment is not always very effective at eliminating contaminants such as metals, microorganisms, and other impurities. Therefore, researchers compared the removal of organic contaminants from polyamide filters with the glucose oxidase enzyme and iron oxide nanoparticles to other cleaning techniques, including the Fenton reaction. They found this method was a major cause of the breakdown of the common pollutants while also protecting the membrane structure. The initial stages were successful, which allowed further experimentation to improve the cleaning ability of nanoparticles.
These nanoparticles were highly effective at cleaning the membranes, observing a 94 per cent increase in their initial water filtration capacity. Since nanoparticles do not require strong chemicals and are easily recoverable, researchers opine that the new system is a greener and cost-effective procedure for nanofiltration membrane cleaning. Nanoparticles are structured to attract water and are highly porous, soaking up water like a sponge while repelling contaminants and dissolved salts. Nano-membranes are also useful for helping in separating impure particles from wastewater. They are very effective in removing dyes, heavy metals, and other pollutants.
The unique properties of nanomaterials, such as high surface area, high reactivity, and strong mechanical properties, are highly efficacious and advantageous traits for wastewater treatment.
More in News
