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Cycle 6 (2017 Deadline)
Design of metal-oxide nanoparticle reinforced nano-fibrous biopolymer composites for water treatment
PI: Wilson Gitari, mugera.gitari@univen.ac.za, University of Venda
U.S. Partner: James Smith, University of Virginia
January 2018 - January 2020
Project Overview:
The overall objective of this project is to fabricate multifunctional, biopolymer-metal oxide nanoparticle, reinforced composites for fluoride and pathogen removal in groundwater. Previously reported materials have low fluoride adsorption capacity, and there is no information on their capacity for disinfection of the treated water. The biopolymer composite that the PI and his team plan to develop is envisaged to have high fluoride adsorption capacity and at the same time remove pathogens, resulting in a powerful treatment system to deliver safe, fluoride-free drinking water. These electrospun chitosan-cellulose hybrid nanocomposites will provide active sites for reduction and introduction of Ag-MgO engineered nanomaterials that will be instrumental in imparting pathogen removal capacity. A component of this project is the formation and loading of various metal oxide nanoparticles on the biopolymer composites, testing their effectiveness in simultaneous defluoridation of the groundwater and pathogen removal. The U.S. partner on the project, Dr. James Smith, will contribute his expertise in nanomaterial synthesis, as well as his experience in pioneering the application of silver-coated ceramic water filters and ceramic tablets loaded with silver nanoparticles for water treatment in a rural community in South Africa.
This project should help to promotes equitable distribution and supply of water by improving access to clean, safe water for rural residents at an affordable cost. It should also lead to more efficient groundwater utilization as an option to satisfy the huge water demand of South Africa. Ultimately, access to safer water would also help to improve the health of rural communities, reducing the disease burden on the health infrastructure.
Final Summary of Project Activities
In this project, design, synthesis, and testing through batch fluoride adsorption optimization conditions and application of impregnated engineered nanomaterials on a biopolymeric matrix using a sol-gel biosynthesis approach were carried out. The developed biopolymeric nanocomposites sorbents were evaluated and applied for potential application in removing fluoride and pathogens from groundwater on a lab-scale.
Technical experimental protocols on fluoride and microbial removal from simulated contaminated solutions (both laboratory and field water-scale) with the biosynthesized adsorbent are in advanced stages as this project wraps up. Consultations and updates on the material developmental stages are ongoing and have been submitted to the university intellectual property office which is affiliated to the National Intellectual Property Organization (NIMPO), a government entity that funds patenting, technical evaluation of any prototype emanating from research work and potential commercialization. Results have also been shared at conferences and workshops including the 1st,International Conference on Sustainable Management of Natural Resources (October 2018), IUPAC Postgraduate Summer School on Green Chemistry (May 2019), and the New Frontiers in Separation Processes & Membranes Development workshop (July 2019).
Publications
Ayinde, Wasiu B., et al. "Biosynthesis of Ultrasonically Modified Ag-MgO Nanocomposite and its Potential for Antimicrobial Activity." Journal of Nanotechnology, vol. 2018, Article ID 9537454, 2018, pp. 1-10. Journal of Nanotechnology, doi:10.1155/2018/9537454.
Ayinde, Wasiu B., et al. "Biosynthesis of Ag-MgO-nanohydroxyapatite on nanofibrous cellulose for fluoride and bacterial removal in groundwater." Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Sustainable Management of Natural Resources (ICSMNR 2018), Bolivia Lodge, Polokwane, Limpopo, South Africa, 15-17 October 2018, pp. 68-76. ISBN 978-0-620-82267-1.
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