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Training Position – Coupled Sorption and Oxidation of Amoxicillin over Activated Carbon/Magnetite Nanoparticles

Status: Closed

General Information

Title

Coupled Sorption and Oxidation of Amoxicillin over Activated Carbon/Magnetite Nanoparticles.

Sending Institution

Holy Spirit University of Kaslik (USEK) in Lebanon

Host Institution

University of Oulu (UOulu) in Finland

Advisor(s)

Dr. Mika Huuhtanen and Dr. Satu Ojala from OULU

Dr. Walid Harb and Dr. Roger Matta from USEK

Start Date

May 1, 2023

Application Deadline

March 30, 2023

Keywords

Advanced Oxidation Processes – Sorption – Pharmaceuticals – Hydroxyl Radicals – Sulfate Radicals

Profile & Skills Required

Masters Students in Chemistry or Biochemistry

Promoting Research Work

All relevant results will be published in international journals and presented at national and international conferences. In addition, if these materials perform well, the patentability of any new results will be considered before any public disclosure.


Training Details

Description

Pharmaceutical wastes represent one of the emerging pollutants that endanger human health because of their toxicity and resistance to conventional treatment techniques. As a result, efforts to find effective remediation techniques to fully remove this new class of pollutants from the environment and water have turned to Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs), of which heterogeneous catalysis using iron oxides (Magnetite for instance) are a subset [1] [2].

Activated carbon (AC), a general adsorbent for removal of wide range of pollutants from water, has some important advantages such as special structure and high adsorption capacity which have highlighted the AC application in many treatment plants [3] [4].

Mixing the 2 materials, Magnetite and activated carbon, into a mixed nanocomposite represent a promising solution for the elimination of Pharmaceutical Pollutants.

In this study 2 types of activated carbons will be studied, a synthetic one from agricultural waste and another commercial AC. In situ synthesis of the nanocomposite based on Fe3O4 nanoparticles and activated carbon will be conducted [5] [6]. The mixed material will be used to study the kinetics of oxidation of Amoxicillin via 2 oxidative systems: Sulfate radicals and Hydroxyl radicals mediated oxidation of Amoxicillin. Characterization of the solid materials .

Objectives

Selected applicant will boost her/his knowledge in the field of heterogeneous catalysis. She/He will work on several techniques for solid characterization and liquid analysis: ex: Raman, FTIR, BET-BJH, and UV-Vis.

References

[1]. Jaimy Scaria, P.V. Nidheesh, Pre-treatment of real pharmaceutical wastewater by heterogeneous Fenton and persulfate oxidation processes, Environmental Research, Volume 217,(2023). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2022.114786.

[2]. Lounès Haroune, Sabrina Saibi, Chloé Thiec, Hubert Cabana, Roland Leduc, Jean-Philippe Bellenger,Evaluation of oxidation processes for pharmaceutical compounds removal, Catalysis Communications,Volume 172 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catcom.2022.106533.

[3]. Marina Gutiérrez, Vittoria Grillini, Dragana Mutavdžić Pavlović, Paola Verlicchi,Activated carbon coupled with advanced biological wastewater treatment: A review of the enhancement in micropollutant removal,Science of The Total Environment,Volume 790, (2021).https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.148050

[4]. Yufeng Zhao, Guiping Wu, Wei Wei, Myung-Hee Song, Chul-Woong Cho, Yeoung-Sang Yun,

Adsorption of ionic and neutral pharmaceuticals and endocrine-disrupting chemicals on activated carbon fiber: batch isotherm and modeling studies, Chemosphere, Volume 319 (2023)0 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.138042

[5]. Bondarenko, L.S., Magomedov, I.S., Terekhova, V.A. . Magnetite–Activated Carbon NanocompositesSynthesis, Sorption Properties, and Bioavailability. Russ J Appl Chem 93, 1202–1210 (2020).https://doi.org/10.1134/S1070427220080133

[6]. Harith Rashid, Muhammad Adil Mansoor, Bilal Haider, Rizwan Nasir, Sharifah Bee Abd Hamid & Aymn Abdulrahman. Synthesis and characterization of magnetite nano particles with high selectivity using in-situ precipitation method, Separation Science and Technology, 55:6, 1207-1215, (2020). https://doi.org/10.1080/01496395.2019.1585876


Modality of the application

1. Create a student account. Click here.
2. Download the guide for applicants, application Form N°1, and application Form N°2.
3. Prepare, sign, and submit your full application online no later than March 30, 2022.

Candidates are invited to download the SWaTH Mobile App and Log In to check the updated status of their application.

Any omission or non-compliance with the instructions requested will result in the Applicant's ineligibility. Any application that does not comply with the instructions will be rejected.