Researchers from Khalifa University of Science and Technology have succeeded in inventing and developing environmentally friendly membranes and materials to treat wastewater, remove oil droplets, dyes, and excess nutrients, in addition to absorbing pollutants from the water.
In detail, the Khalifa University research team developed a membrane made of a nanomaterial and a polylactic acid compound, with the aim of removing excess nutrients from wastewater, as the principle of the membrane’s work is based on absorption. The team used a nanomaterial consisting of a nanotube made of graphene oxide, and several Of the positively charged carbon walls, with the aim of removing ammonia nitrogen and phosphorus from wastewater, thus enhancing water permeability, while nutrients are captured in the pores of nanotubes on the surface of the membrane.
Removal of dyes
In a second innovation, a research team from Khalifa University developed a new material that contributes to the removal of dyes from industrial wastewater, using an idea inspired by sea oysters. The researchers developed the new material from a polymer called “polydopamine” modified with an ionic liquid, thus forming an absorbent material capable of Capture ionic pollutants from water.
The research team indicated that sea oysters are able to attach themselves to a variety of surfaces, using protein threads containing dopamine, which acts as a natural adhesive, while polydopamine is an artificial polymer that mimics the structure of dopamine found in sea oyster proteins, as it is characterized by the ability to paint A variety of surfaces, with the ability to make modifications to the surfaces.
Removing oil from water
The third innovation succeeded in integrating molybdenum disulfide nanospheres with a cellulose acetate matrix. The nanospheres are characterized by their ability to repel water and attract oil droplets, while the cellulose acetate polymer is characterized by its ability to adhere quickly to water. The membrane is designed with a dual hydrophilic yet waterproof design, which enables it to capture oil droplets contained in large amounts of water. The innovation addresses the problem of the difficulty of large quantities of industrial wastewater contaminated with oil droplets, due to the fineness of these droplets and their spread throughout all parts of the water, as traditional membranes witness a decrease in the level of effectiveness of separating accumulated oil droplets from water, which is the problem that we seek to find a solution to.
The researchers confirmed that the nature of the double membrane is characterized by its ability to get rid of pollutants caused by oil droplets, and the membrane’s ability in separation operations was proven in many tests with a capture rate of oil droplets penetrating into wastewater that reached 90%, pointing out that these membranes are characterized by sustainability and stability. , which makes it reusable, without losing its effectiveness in performance.
Sand graphene
A fourth team also succeeded in developing sand graphene, which is capable of absorbing pollutants from industrial wastewater, using two natural sources that are widely available in the country, namely sand and dates. The research team took advantage of date juice, which is used to extract the carbon needed to produce graphene, as sand graphene is considered a material. Environmentally friendly and scalable in the field of water purification, due to its absorption capacity superior to its counterparts made from graphene.
In analyzing date juice, the research team relied on the process of “thermal decomposition,” which is the process of chemical decomposition of organic materials at high temperatures in the absence of oxygen. Decomposition includes a chemical change in the composition of graphene, accompanied by adhesion to sand without the need for external chemical agents.
It is worth noting that Khalifa University ranked first in the country, for the second year in a row, and among the top 40 universities in Asia, according to the QS Foundation for World Universities in the field of Sustainability 2024, out of about 1,400 academic institutions included in this classification. .
In the environmental impact criterion within the classification, Khalifa University ranked among the top 200 universities in the world. This classification sheds light on the various means taken by the world’s universities to take measures aimed at addressing the most important issues facing the world with regard to the environment and social and administrative impacts.
. A research team is developing a new material that helps remove dyes from industrial wastewater, using an idea inspired by sea oysters.
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