This proposal aims to address the need for cleaning the oil spill caused by an explosion of an oil-rig in the Gulf of Mexico. The proposed method is a rapid, straightforward, and economic solution to this problem involving novel, active, ceramic-nano-materials based systems which under exposure to the sun may take advantage of the vast visible spectrum of solar irradiation thus breaking down crude oil in water quickly and effectively into benign constituents that are safe for the environment and for the human and animal welfare. This work will provide new knowledge on how to use solar irradiation to clean-up contamination from organics that would be difficult to remediate by other means in a reasonable time frame with limited resources, and will train students and the public alike in responding effectively to an urgent need to protect the environment and sustain the quality of life.
TECHNICAL DETAILS: The proposed research involves oxide-based photoassisted oxidation of organic pollutants (crude oil in salt water) and their decomposition to eco-friendly constituents, through the use of oxide photocatalysts that absorb in the visible range of solar radiation, for the fast and effective cleaning of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The novel synthesis of 3D nanogrids of the CuO/WO3 system is described in this work. Its targeted use to decompose oil spills simulants (such as benzene in sea water); actual oil spill-containing water samples will be evaluated. Prototyping of self-supported 'photocatalytic screens' for the remediation of large areas of water surface will be also explored. Training of students in state-of-the-art ceramic materials for remediation technologies is an important aspect of this project.
This project aimed to develop advanced nanotechnologies to respond to the need of remediating pollution in water, whether it is of the scale of the recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, or it relates to effluents from the oil and gas drilling practices (produced water) or it is wastewater from industrial processes (e.g. dye release from the textile industry). In all of these cases, the solution offered through this project has been the use of Nanogrids™, a ceramics-based nanotechnology of visible-light activated photocatalysts of semiconducting oxides. These nanofibrous mats were prepared by a combination of metal templating and blend electrospinning and were found to be able to turn wastewater into drinking water (in the case of benzene pollution and the use of CuO-WO3 nanogrids) and to almost totally eliminate dye contamination of water through exposure to natural sunlight (as was the case with methylene blue while using Cu-doped titania nanogrids). It is the unique structure of the nanofibrous composites containing grains attached as links to a chain that gives them their characteristic properties (both electronic and chemical) that make them suitable for use in the targeted application. Thanks to the I-Corps initiative, this technology is being further developed and it is expected to become a paradigm of translating the results of fundamental materials research to an actual product in the market within a very short time. "This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content."
