Scientists from Rostov, Russia, use the energy of sunlight to clean dirt from dyes.
Scientists from the Academy of Biology and Biotechnology talked with colleagues from Iran about how dyes can be purified using sunlight and graphene.
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, often used as industrial dyes, are among the top pollutants in aquariums in Russia’s Rostov Province, scientists said.
Up to 450,000 tons of paint are produced worldwide each year using these hydrocarbons. The enormous scale of production and the ability of these substances to cause cancer and various mutations have become a major concern among experts.
According to Rostov scientists, in recent years many experts have used solar energy to treat industrial wastewater, mainly because of the cheapness and ease of use of this method, since it relies on activated graphene nanocatalysts of sunlight.
Mahmoud Mazraji, principal investigator of the Academy, said: “The water treatment method we use is less effective in terms of efficiency in separating persistent contaminants than the titanium dioxide used today, because it can be neutralized more than 90% of the volume of some. paintings.”
The Iranian scientist drew attention to the fact that the developed technology is simple, cheap and completely environmentally friendly. Under the influence of sunlight, graphene nanoparticles form oxidized radicals that bind to molecules of harmful chemicals. As a result of this reaction, concentrated pollutants are converted into relatively harmless carbon dioxide and water.
Scientists plan to introduce a new method of water purification to the existing infrastructure. The nano-catalyst manufacturing technology requires the oxidation of graphite, which is then decomposed into simpler elements and heated to remove volatile impurities.
The nanocatalyst can be reused and sent for retreatment, which can be used, for example, during tertiary treatment in municipal wastewater treatment plants.
“We hope that our innovations will be implemented in the near future,” said Mahmoud Mazargi.
Source: Komsomolskaya Pravda
Source: Arabic RT
