Earth Abundant Catalyst for Environmental Sustainability Applications
Abstract
The development of experimental methodologies for synthesizing a diverse range of metallic and metal oxide nanoparticles tailored for sustainable water treatment applications was investigated. These nanoparticles are prepared using environmentally friendly and scalable synthesis methods, underscoring their potential for large-scale production. Synthesized nanoparticles are harnessed for various processes, including catalysis and electrocatalysis, with a primary objective of degrading and removing organic pollutants from water. Key to this research is the encapsulation of nanoparticles within solid supports. Multiple methodologies are explored to engineer supports that ensure nanoparticle stabilization, monodispersion, and prevent unintended release into the environment. Two alternative approaches were evaluated for the treatment of organic dyes, one within the factory encompassing the synthesis of Al@C nanomaterial through a MOF intermediate and the development of magnetic Fe@C nanomaterial, both exhibiting excellent catalytic activity in the reductive degradation of organic dyes such as MO, MB and 4-NP, comparable to Pt and Au based catalysts in terms of degradation time and rate constants. While, for water remediation and sanitization in already contaminated rivers it was successfully synthesized several ZnO nanoparticles through a saccharide combustion methodology, all of them showing very good catalytic activity in the MO degradation assisted by UV and sunlight. The stability studies also show the potential reusability of this nanomaterial, losing less than 10% of activity after 3 cycles. Finally in the field of energy for electrocatalytic applications two new nanomaterials based on Fe and Co were successfully synthesized and tested for electrocatalysis in OER, showcasing very good results comparable to rare earth metals such as Ru.
Subject Area
Materials science|Inorganic chemistry|Sustainability|Nanotechnology
Recommended Citation
Ortega, Javier Hernandez, "Earth Abundant Catalyst for Environmental Sustainability Applications" (2024). ETD Collection for University of Texas, El Paso. AAI31297414.
https://scholarworks.utep.edu/dissertations/AAI31297414