You are here:
Using Nanomaterials In Risk Management Of Environmental Pollutants: An Overview Of Recent Advancements
Citation:
AL-ABED, S. R. Using Nanomaterials In Risk Management Of Environmental Pollutants: An Overview Of Recent Advancements. Presented at 235th American Chemical Society Meeting, New Orleans, LA, April 06 - 10, 2008.
Impact/Purpose:
To study electrochemical and catalytic processes to degrade PCBs by using nano-scale materials, as reactive ingredients.
Description:
Persistent organic pollutants, known as POPs, are toxic substances released into the environment by human activities. Of all POPs released into the environment by human activity, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are among the most dangerous. They are highly toxic, causing death, disease, and birth defects among humans and animals. These highly stable compounds can last for years or decades before breaking down. Characterization of how these contaminants reside in the sediments system and how to degrade them to harmless compounds in the environment will drastically reverse pollution trends in contaminated sediments. These organic contaminants usually have low solubility in water, and their hydrophobic nature make them attach quite strongly to organic components of the sediments. We will present our findings using a new innovative strategy based on sound science and fundamental understanding of the PCB degradation process using nanomaterials as reactive ingredients. Our approach consists of developing a suite of electrochemical and catalytic processes to degrade PCBs using nano-scale materials. These nanomaterials may be applied as ex-situ and/or in-situ scenarios. We are developing and testing the aforementioned methods using bench-scale, and pilot-scale approaches. Future plans may extend to field testing and full scale applications.