S-FOX · Smart Fenton OXidation: a catalytic membrane for water purification
Horizon Europe — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
- Duration
- 2022-12-01 → 2024-11-30
- EU contribution
- €195,915
- Participants
- 1
- Scheme
- HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF
Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.
Results in brief
Smart Fenton OXidation: a catalytic membrane for water purification
The growth of the population has occurred alongside the increase of industrial, agricultural and, correspondingly, waste production. In addition, the intensification of industrial activities turns into an unrelenting development of new classes of potentially harmful chemicals, such as pharmaceuticals (e.g., oestradiol, antibiotics), artificial sweeteners (e.g., acesulfame K) or Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS). If not properly treated, these substances may reach water resources through aqueous effluents, thus representing a risk for both aqueous ecosystems and human health. This project aims to design and optimize an unprecedented organometallic catalytic surface, incorporating engineered active sites inspired by biological enzymes suitable for water purification. The properties of natural enzymes that I pursue are related to the ability to catalyse a fast oxidation of recalcitrant contaminants and create a more selective metal-based active species instead of relying on free radicals. The objectives at the root of this project assert the possibility to: (i) create different water-robust and easily customizable catalysts toward contaminant degradation in water; (ii) synthesize or employ fully polymeric materials as a functionalizable surface; (iii) create reactive materials consisting of the most promising catalytic polymer with desired structural and chemical properties; (iv) use the material reactors for chemical transformation and water purification to obtain benign products with minimal waste production.
Data: CORDIS, © European Union
Project objective
The main goal of this project is the development of new polymeric catalysts and new catalytic membranes, designed to carry out high-end chemical oxidation in aqueous streams. Catalytic membranes are means to perform chemical transformation at the solid/ fluid interface and they are ideal interfacial reactors and contactors, simultaneously catalyzing and directing the heterogeneous phase reaction between substrates and oxidant agents. These systems have a key role in the future process industry and in water treatment since they enable oxidation reactions whilst reducing reagents and waste. Current systems employ inorganic and often high-value catalysts, which are generally of high cost, and prone to leaching causing loss of performance in time. I propose the first fully polymeric catalytic membrane made exclusively of bio-inspired iron coordination polymers. This research will lead to key scientific breakthroughs by: i) creating new non-heme catalytic polymers that mimic the activity of biological enzymes and that can be efficiently deployed to cast membranes for heterogeneous reaction; ii) designing and fabricating polymeric membranes consisting of the catalytic macromolecules and with suitable surface and morphological properties to precisely guide and enhance the contact among the reagents and with the catalyst; iii) successfully applying these systems maintaining high catalytic rate and yield and to understand the mechanisms and pathways of transformation of compounds, especially water micropollutants. These innovations will enable membrane robustness, long-term efficiency, and low cost. In particular, the potential of the new catalysts, membranes, and membrane reactors will be exemplified in the purification of contaminated streams to produce safe water. Thus, this new system represents a platform for a plethora of further advances in the field of oxidation processes applied to chemistry, engineering, and the environment.
Original text from CORDIS.
Participants
- UNIVERSITE DE MONTPELLIER · MontpellierCoordinatorFrance
Links
- View on CORDIS
- DOI: 10.3030/101061559
- https://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/documents/downloadPublic?documentIds=080166e513a3aaf0&appId=PPGMS
- https://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/documents/downloadPublic?documentIds=080166e5fc6eee3c&appId=PPGMS
Data: CORDIS, © European Union