Speaker
Description
The textile, leather, paper, food, and cosmetics industries are major sources of dye pollution, negatively impacting water quality, ecosystems, and posing risks to human and aquatic health. Effective wastewater management is essential and requires innovative solutions. This research introduces an eco-friendly advanced material engineering approach by incorporating an effective adsorbent (SiO2) and advanced ceramic (barium titanate, BaTiO3) into 3D-printed polymeric scaffolds. The nano-sized BaTiO3 particles, synthesized by a solution combustion technique, and SiO2, prepared from bagasse ash, exhibited moderate surface areas. Despite this, the enhanced surface area of the 3D-printed scaffolds, created by precise CAD design, enabled effective organic pollutant removal. The scaffolds achieved over 80% methylene blue (MB) dye removal efficiency after immersion in a 5 ppm dye solution for 24 hours in a dark room, followed by exposure to UV light for 4 hours and ultrasonic treatment for 2 hours. In the dark room, adsorption accounted for 50% dye removal. UV light exposure led to an additional 18% removal through photocatalytic degradation. Ultrasonic treatment further contributed 15% degradation via piezocatalysis. This innovative approach demonstrated the effective integration of adsorption, photocatalysis, and piezocatalysis within 3D-printed scaffolds to mitigate dye pollution. By using sustainable materials such as agricultural waste and advanced manufacturing techniques, this research offers a promising solution for reducing environmental impact, aligning with SDGs.
