The world population is ageing and the consumption of medications is constantly growing. Subsequently, the concentration of their residues in soil, surface and ground waters is also growing and might construe serious danger to human health and other living organisms. Most common pharmaceutical contaminants which could be find in the environment are antidepressants, analgesics, antiphlogistic and hormone drugs, antihypertensives and cardiovascular drugs as well as cosmetics components. Unfortunately, traditional mechanical and biological wastewater treatment technologies are insufficient for the removal of this type of contaminants.
The aim of the project is to develop novel biopolymer sorbents for binding of organic microcontaminants in water. The novel biopolymer based sorbents will be obtained by the means of chemical and physical modification of polysaccharides. After evaluation of the interactions of specific organic microcontaminants with biopolymer sorbents of various structure and composition in water, assessment of their efficiency in binding specific organic microcontaminants from effluents the prototype technology for the removal of specific organic microcontaminants from effluents will developed.
Project funding:
KTU R&D&I Fund
Project results:
During the project „Ultrasound activated sorbents for the removal of microcontaminants from wastewater“ ultrasound-activated modified starch sorbents were developed. Activation of these sorbents was carried out by using two different methods: ultrasonification by spatially distributed high intensity ultrasound and ultrasonification by spatially concentrated high intensity ultrasound. Ultrasound-activated sorbents have been found to adsorb effectively micropollutants such as ibuprofen and diclofenac from aqueous media. During the project, the lab-scale technologies for the synthesis of ultrasound-activated modified starch and the binding of organic microcontaminants were developed.
Period of project implementation: 2019-04-01 - 2019-12-31
