2024 AIChE Annual Meeting

(402d) Use of Nitrogen-Doped Magnetic Quantum Carbon Dots for Photocatalytic Degradation of PFAS

Authors

Santiago Borrés, S. - Presenter, University of Florida
Yang, L., Univeristy of Florida
Gains, R., University of Florida
Deliz-Quinones, K., University of Florida
Fonseca de Faria, A., University of Florida
Exposure to PFAS has been linked to health outcomes including impaired function of kidney, liver, and thyroid, and suppression of immune, reproductive, and developmental systems. Since PFAS cannot be medically removed from the body, it is crucial to remove these toxic contaminants from the environment, to reduce risks on human health and ecosystem functions. PFAS contamination from wastewater discharge and reuse poses a significant threat to drinking water and agricultural water resources. Given the global distribution of PFAS, finding sustainable and cost-effective removal methods are essential. PFAS removal methods are still in development, and include both destructive and non-destructive techniques. Non-destructive approaches like activated carbon and reverse osmosis have shown limited success removing PFAS mixtures. Furthermore, they require frequent replacement of sorbents, leading to increased hazardous waste generation. Destructive techniques, like advanced oxidation and reduction processes (AOPs and ARPs) have higher success rates for removal of PFAS mixtures. However, they have high energy requirements, formation of potentially toxic byproducts, and scalability issues. Photocatalysis is a promising AOP that can be implemented at ambient temperature, with little energy requirements working even under sunlight, which increases sustainability and opportunities for scalability. We implemented a novel approach to cost-effectively develop urea-modified magnetic quantum carbon dots (M-QCD) from lignin waste, which exhibits high contaminant sorption. Preliminary findings show high quantum yield and production of reactive oxygen species, which improves the breakdown of PFAS mixtures from aqueous effluents. Our study will summarize the characterization and experimental results of M-QCD, highlighting its PFAS degradation potential.