Synthesis of Bismuth based photoactive nanoparticles and their coupling with ultrafiltration membranes for water purification applications
Introduction of Endocrine Disruptive Chemicals into the water bodies is an emerging threat to humans and the environment. Conventional water treatment processes are inadequate to remove these chemicals. In order to degrade the emerging water pollutants like Bisphenol A (BPA), combination of water treatment processes need to be applied. Our research aims to couple the processes like Advanced Oxidation by Bismuth based nanoparticles and Membrane Filtration using Ultrafiltration Membranes for the better effect.
Bismuth based photoactive nanoparticles are the unique category of materials considered as promising photocatalyst substances due to unique properties such as excellent electronic structure and light absorption, thermal stability, less toxicity, inertness and low cost. Modification of metals, non-metals and polymers with bismuth-based nanoparticles, enhance their properties and make them useful in various applications including antifogging, disinfection, self-cleaning, organic pollutant degradation in water, carbon dioxide reduction, hydrogen generation and air purification and so on. Our study focuses on synthesis, characterisation and testing of these nanoparticles against the model pollutant.
Membrane technology is an energy efficient, sustainable and low carbon footprint process used in wide range of areas from pharmaceuticals, oil and gas to water and waste water treatment. Despite its advantages, efficiency of the membrane process is drastically limited by fouling and low stability during the separation process. In order to mitigate the membrane fouling we aim to modify Polyether sulfone (PES) Ultrafiltration (UF) membranes using Bismuth based nanoparticles by means of various techniques.