5.01.B–T03 - Grafting and Application of Maize Tassel Derived Adsorbent for the Removal of short chain chlorinated paraffin and polychlorinated naphthalene from Aqueous Solution

Abstract

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are a group of toxic chemicals that adversely affect human health and the environment. Most POPs are halogenated and due to the strong carbon-halogen bond, they are resistant to degradation and can bioaccumulate in the environment. Therefore, their removal from the environment is very important. Among the various sources of removal of POPs, the conventional wastewater treatments have been shown to be effective to some extent but lacks the capacity to remove these completely. As regulatory limits for POPs are becoming increasingly stringent, innovative, sustainable and cost-effective water treatment technologies are urgently needed for efficient POPs removal. Technologies such as photodegradation, electrochemical approaches, and reverse osmosis have been shown to remove POPs from aqueous solutions. However, these technologies still present significant limitations such as extended treatment times, generation of secondary pollutant, high energy costs and generation of large volumes of waste that require further treatment. Because of the limitations of the aforementioned technologies, adsorption using bio-adsorbents are gaining attention due to their cost-effectiveness and efficiency. Maize tassel, an agricultural waste, has shown its potential to remove POPs such as PFAS when physically and chemically activated. However, maize tassel treated with nanoparticles such as ZnO and Ag for the removal of emerging POPs such as short chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs) and polychlorinated naphthalene (PCN) are yet to be explored. This knowledge gap needs to be attended to in order to give a holistic potential of maize tassel to remove a wide range of POP chemicals in aqueous medium.
 

Author(s)

Presenter: Benjamin, Shotholo

Authors: 

Benjamin Shotholo Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) South Africa