New report: Crystal Engineering for Water Treatment

A new report from Mistra SafeChem tells about a method to develop a 2D crystalline catalyst.

Effective water pollution treatment is vital for protecting health, ecosystems, and supporting economic activities. Small organic pollutants, such as pesticides, pharmaceuticals, and industrial chemicals, persist in the environment and resist conventional methods, posing significant risks. Innovative catalysts are necessary for their effective degradation.

Single-atom catalysts, with metal atoms dispersed on supports like metal oxides or carbon, offer exceptional activity and selectivity but tend to aggregate into clusters over time, releasing into solutions as sub-micron particles.

­– To address this, we developed a 2D crystalline catalyst through crystal engineering, comments the authors Joy Ngozi Onwumere and Zhehao Huang, Stockholm University.

Its 2D morphology and high surface area enhance efficiency in breaking down pollutants, while its micrometer size facilitates separation from water by precipitation, and avoid the risks posed by sub-micron particles.

– Using photodegradation, which harnesses light energy to decompose organic molecules, we demonstrate these catalysts can effectively degrade pollutants like Rhodamine B, showcasing their potential for advanced water treatment applications.

Read the report Crystal Engineering for Water Treatment Pdf, 1.2 MB, opens in new window..