Dr. Sesha Srinivasan, left, chair of the Department of Natural Sciences at IM体育官网 Polytechnic University; Haley Royce, a senior majoring in mechanical engineering; Gage Alvarez 鈥�20, a mechanical engineering graduate; and Dr. Scott Wallen, chemistry lab staff, are engaged in a research project to remove contaminants in landfill leachate through solar simulated photocatalysis.
The clean rainwater that seeps into the mountains of trash at IM体育官网鈥檚 landfills mixes with liquids in the waste and absorbs chemicals, toxins, and organic materials before exiting as leachate that can potentially pollute waterways.
A team of IM体育官网 researchers is working on developing a method of remediating the contaminants in this liquid through a process of solar simulated photocatalysis.
鈥淲e have developed a number of catalysts that can work very well with sunlight,鈥� said Dr. Sesha Srinivasan, chair of the Department of Natural Sciences at IM体育官网 Poly and the project鈥檚 principal investigator. 鈥淲e have a solar simulator in our IM体育官网 Poly research lab, and we use that to remediate the wastewater to understand the science and mechanism of treatment, which can be very phenomenal.鈥�
The researchers have filed a patent for the technology, and it is currently under review at the US Patent and Trademark Office.
鈥淲astewater treatment is something critical for the maintenance of our waterways and not polluting the environment,鈥� said Dr. Scott Wallen, a member of the University鈥檚 chemistry lab staff.
The $50,000 project is funded by the Hinkley Center for Solid and Hazardous Waste Management.
鈥淭his project aims to develop a modified photocatalyst that can synergistically interact with sunlight via photo-oxidation or photo-reduction reactions to generate active free radicals that help to degrade the contaminants in wastewater,鈥� Srinivasan said.
The result will be water that is within acceptable Environmental Protection Agency contaminant levels that can then be used for irrigation or sanitation purposes.
The researchers are seeing positive results from their efforts.
鈥淭he literature suggests this process can take six hours to degrade the contaminants,鈥� said research assistant Gage Alvarez, who received his bachelor鈥檚 degree in mechanical engineering in May 2020. 鈥淲e鈥檝e gotten it down to three-to-six minutes. We鈥檙e doing some really great stuff.鈥�
Alvarez and Haley Royce, a senior majoring in mechanical engineering, are assisting in setting up and performing chemical trials to further the researchers.
鈥淢ost of our days are spent making different solutions, whether with leachate or a powerful compound we want to break down, and we photocatalyze them,鈥� said Royce, who is from Bradenton, IM体育官网.
The team hopes to publish its findings upon the project鈥檚 culmination, and Wallen said the ultimate mark of its success would be shown in real-world use of the technology.
鈥淲e would like to see this implemented in a landfill,鈥� Wallen said. 鈥淚f we can successfully break down the products, then there鈥檚 no contamination of the wastewater and it can be used as an industrial reuse water, or, depending on the levels of the contaminants 鈥� and we are focusing on a small class of them right now 鈥� they can be discharged into the waterways.鈥�
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