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Many wastewater treatment technologies are available for the removal of traditional contaminants from wastewater, however, many more emerging contaminants are either not detected or are being introduced due to an increased demand for healthcare products. Some of these include pharmaceuticals, personal care products, endocrine disruption compounds, antibiotics, pesticides, nanoplastics, etc. This is placing a huge strain on existing wastewater treatment plants and traditional technologies may not be effective in removing these emerging contaminants. As such, many advanced technologies are being investigated, with photocatalytic degradation being one of the leading ones.
The main aim is to establish a continuous photocatalytic treatment system for the degradation of organic content in water, including the emerging contaminants. The specific objectives are to: • Investigate pretreatment methods to reduce high organic content, like anaerobic digestion • Investigate the effect of various photocatalysts for the advanced treatment system • Optimise the operating variables of the photocatalytic reactor in order to maximise the removal of the emerging contaminants
The results of the project will influence the advancement of small-scale wastewater treatment plants, help to improve water quality to meet stringent discharge regulations and reduce the impact on the environment. It will also help to establish a mechanism to help wastewater reuse specs and save water.
The project aims to provide a complete solution for the removal of emerging contaminants together with using greener, more sustainable solutions. The catalysts that are being investigated and synthesised will be recoverable and reusable to ensure that no additional disposal contamination is introduced. The solution will also be linked to traditionaltreatment methods like anaerobic digestion with the introduction of the synthesise catalysts into the biomass to improve the methane content of the biogas produced.
Prof Sudesh Rathilal Emmanuel Kweinor Tetteh, Nomthandazo Sibiya, Gloria Amo Duodo and the possibility of two new MEng students Email: rathilals@dut.ac.za | Cell: 083 783 1964
The project will start in January 2021 and last for two years
Reactor R150 000, Consumables R75 000, Analysis R50 000
