Waste hydrocarbons and organic pollutants present in industrial wastewater pose a real environmental and energy conservation challenges worldwide. The available conventional treatment technologies primarily focus on water recycling at high capital and operating costs, and mostly, none of them targeted the simultaneous recovery of waste hydrocarbons that could be used as a useful source of fuel for industry. Therefore, new innovative and cost-effective technologies are needed here. Nanotechnology, typically in the form of nanoparticles, is emerging as an interesting technology for enhancing water purification. They have high, active, and hybrid surface areas, which make them able to work as nano-adsorbents and catalysts (nanosorbcats). This recent concept is invented, for the first time, by our research group. Our futuristic vision is developing hydrocarbon waste utilization processes by transforming “energy consuming” to “energy producing” wastewater treatment processes by using the right nanosrobcats. Thus, environmentally friendly, silica-based nanosorbcats functionalized with active species, were successfully prepared and employed in removing different pollutants with different functionalities (i.e., cationic, anionic, neutral, and organic acids), that are typically present in energy wastewater effluents. All of these pollutants were successfully removed with different degrees in adsorption affinity and capacity. To support our experimental adsorption findings, a computational modeling on the different pollutants is carried out to understand the adsorption mechanism on our in-house prepared nanosorbcats. After adsorption, the organic pollutants will be converted into synthesis gas through catalytic steam gasification method with the aid of nanosorbcats. These findings in addition to the catalytic activity behavior towards the selected pollutants will be elaborated and discussed further.

Conference Title

Western Canada Water (WCW)16 Annual Conference & Exhibition

Conference Country

Canada

Conference Date

Oct. 4, 2016 - Oct. 6, 2016

Conference Sponsor

Western Canada Water (WCW)

Additional Info

Conference Website