3D graphene-based nanocomposite adsorbents for micropollutant removal in water

Abstract:

The presence of anthropogenic chemicals (e.g., micropollutants, MPs) in aquatic systems threatens ecological and human health. The goal of this research is to develop a robust and self-regenerating adsorbent tailored for MP removal in complex mixtures. Graphene/graphene oxide show strong sorption affinity for organic chemicals, but they tend to stack in water. We synthesize & characterize 3D crumpled graphene balls (CGBs) via the nano-spray drying technique that are stacking-resistant and exhibit superior adsorption performance compared to granular activated carbon for seven of the eight model MPs on a surface area equivalent basis. The performance of CGB is stable and rapid over a range of field conditions. We further probe adsorption mechanisms by using sulfonamide antibiotics (SAs) and formulate a predictive model of CGB adsorption capacity based on SA structure/function properties. Furthermore, we tailor CGB composites with various metal oxides to expand the internal adsorptive area (using SiO2) and make the adsorbent self-regenerating (using TiO2). We are determining the optimized TiO2:SiO2: GO loading in a composite and investigating its performance/durability under continuous cycling. CGB composite materials are selective adsorbents for MP control with potential application in a variety of scenarios (e.g. water/wastewater treatment, targeted pharmaceutical removal in hospital effluents, and source separation).

Bio:

Han Fu is currently a 5th year Ph.D. student at Northwestern University majoring in Environmental Engineering under the supervision of Dr. Kimberly Gray. Han's research interest is the environmental applications of various nanoscale materials. There are two major projects of his Ph.D. research: 1.) micropollutant removal in water by graphene-based composites; 2.) antimicrobial and self-cleaning engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) based coatings. Han received his B.S. degree from the University of California Berkeley majoring in chemical engineering in 2010 and his M.S. degree from the University of Tokyo majoring in chemical engineering in 2012. After working at a pharmaceutical company in Los Angeles California as a process/facility engineer from 2013-2018, Han decided to pursue an academic career and joined Gray Group later in 2018.