DATE: FRIDAY, May 4, 2018
TIME: 2:30 P.M. - Room 223 (Refreshments served at 2:15 pm)
PLACE: Environmental & Natural Resource Sciences Bldg.
14 College Farm Road, New Brunswick, New Jersey
Nina Shapley
RUTGERS UNIVERSITY
DEPT. OF CHEMICAL AND BIOCHEMICAL ENGINEERING
DEVELOPING SUSTAINABLE BIOPOLYMER ADSORBENTS FOR WATER PURIFICATION
Next generation adsorbents for water purification will be required to meet many challenges, including competing residential and industrial needs, population growth and finite fresh sources, as well as the likelihood of disruption by natural causes. Utilization of abundant and biocompatible natural biopolymers with outstanding adsorbent properties and low energy cross-linking routes offers a unique opportunity for effective and sustainable heavy metal contaminant removal from wastewater streams. We seek to generate consistent particle clusters formed from oppositely charged biopolymer hydrogel microparticles and nanoparticles that can adsorb both positive and negative heavy metal ions from aqueous solutions. Results will be presented on the adsorption capacities and rates of clusters and particle components in batch systems and packed bed columns. We envision the practical use of biopolymer particle clusters in conjunction with filtration and co-adsorbents targeting organic contaminants.