Layered Double Hydroxides as Sorbents for Pharmaceuticals in Water Remediation
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Nottingham
Department Name: Sch of Chemistry
Abstract
Emerging contaminants (ECs) are a class of anthropogenic pollutants, and these have recently been detected in environmental waters, and these have become more prominent in recent years through improvements in the detection levels of analytical techniques. The presence of ECs in waterways is a known driver for antimicrobial resistance (AMR). AMR has been declared by the World Health Organisation a major global threat to public health, with up to 10 million lives at risk by 2050 if nothing is done to slow the spread of AMR. One route by which antibiotics, a subclass of ECs, are entering the environment is through release of waste manufacturing effluents, resulting in mg/L concentrations of antibiotics in the water, hence finding a solution to remediate this pollution is key in curbing the spread of AMR. Within the water industry there is also a pressure for remediation processes to become more circular, with pollutants being viewed as a resource rather than a costly waste. Hence, when designing remediation techniques any solutions need to be compatible with the more sustainable circular economy model than widely found linear 'take-make-waste' models. Sorption processes are a remediation technique which if designed correctly can be compatible with the circular economy. Whilst there are a range of sorbent materials reported in the literature, many sorbent materials currently available to industry are costly and potentially unsustainable. Further to this, a lot of research published on the use of sorbent materials lack key considerations to aid in understanding whether a sorption process and material can be industrially relevant, including: realistic wastewater/environmental conditions; representative concentrations of pollutants; detailed study of the recovery/regeneration cycles of sorbent materials.
Proposed solution and methodology
This project will consider the use of layered double hydroxides, LDHs, as sorbent materials for the removal of ECs from manufacturing wastewater. LDHs are anionic clay-like materials with numerous properties which lend themselves to being a sorbent material. Further to this, LDHs can be made using a novel continuous-flow hydrothermal synthesis technology developed at the University of Nottingham, which has also been shown to be scalable for future commercial use. Limited reports of LDHs being used as sorbent materials for the removal of ECs from aqueous environments are available in the literature. However, literature studies have shown that the properties of LDHs which lead to top sorption capacities for organic pollutants from water are complex. One of the initial aims of this project is to understand which properties of LDHs impact their sorption capacity and increase understanding of the structure-property-activity relationship for EC sorption. Particularly sorption performance of LDHs for antibiotics will be investigated, including a consideration of performance at environmentally relevant conditions, with the possibility of using real wastewater samples. The work will consider the recovery of pollutant from the LDH, and regeneration of the LDH for performance over multiple adsorption and desorption cycles to ensure the process is compatible with the circular economy. The project also considers the circular economy in a second way, through using waste resources as the precursors in the LDH synthesis. The use of waste resources as precursors for LDH synthesis has been demonstrated in the literature, however the use of continuous flow synthesis and waste derived precursors together is yet to be reported. This project will also aim to investigate if such as synthesis route is possible and if these materials can be used as successful sorbent materials.
Proposed solution and methodology
This project will consider the use of layered double hydroxides, LDHs, as sorbent materials for the removal of ECs from manufacturing wastewater. LDHs are anionic clay-like materials with numerous properties which lend themselves to being a sorbent material. Further to this, LDHs can be made using a novel continuous-flow hydrothermal synthesis technology developed at the University of Nottingham, which has also been shown to be scalable for future commercial use. Limited reports of LDHs being used as sorbent materials for the removal of ECs from aqueous environments are available in the literature. However, literature studies have shown that the properties of LDHs which lead to top sorption capacities for organic pollutants from water are complex. One of the initial aims of this project is to understand which properties of LDHs impact their sorption capacity and increase understanding of the structure-property-activity relationship for EC sorption. Particularly sorption performance of LDHs for antibiotics will be investigated, including a consideration of performance at environmentally relevant conditions, with the possibility of using real wastewater samples. The work will consider the recovery of pollutant from the LDH, and regeneration of the LDH for performance over multiple adsorption and desorption cycles to ensure the process is compatible with the circular economy. The project also considers the circular economy in a second way, through using waste resources as the precursors in the LDH synthesis. The use of waste resources as precursors for LDH synthesis has been demonstrated in the literature, however the use of continuous flow synthesis and waste derived precursors together is yet to be reported. This project will also aim to investigate if such as synthesis route is possible and if these materials can be used as successful sorbent materials.
Planned Impact
This CDT will deliver impact aligned to the following agendas:
People
A2P will provide over 60 PhD graduates with the skill sets required to deliver innovative sustainable products and processes into the UK chemicals manufacturing industry. A2P will inspire and develop leaders who will:
- understand the needs of industrial end-users;
- embed sustainability across a range of sectors; and
- catalyse the transition to a more productive and resilient UK economy.
Economy
A2P will promote a step change towards a circular economy that embraces resilience and efficiency in terms of atoms and energy. The benefits of adopting more sustainable design principles and smarter production are clear. For example, the global production of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) has been estimated at 65,000-100,000 tonnes per annum. The scale of associated waste is > 10 million tonnes per annum with a disposal cost of more than £15 billion. Consequently, even a modest efficiency increase by applying new, more sustainable chemical processes would deliver substantial economic savings and environmental wins. A2P will seek and deliver systematic gains across all sectors of the chemicals manufacturing industry. Our goals of providing cross-scale training in chemical sciences with economic and life- cycle awareness will drive uptake of sustainable best practice in UK industry, leading to improved economic competitiveness.
Knowledge
This CDT will deliver significant new knowledge in the development of more sustainable processes and products. It will integrate the philosophy of sustainability with catalysis, synthetic methodology, process engineering, and scale-up. Critical concepts such as energy/resource efficiency, life cycle analysis, recycling, and sustainability metrics will become seamlessly joined to what is considered a 'normal' approach to new molecular products. This knowledge and experience will be shared through publications, conferences and other engagement activities. A2P partners will provide efficient routes to market ensuring the efficient translation and transferal of new technologies is realised, ensuring impact is achieved.
Society
The chemistry-using industries manufacture a rich portfolio of products that are critical in maintaining a high quality of life in the UK. A2P will provide highly trained people and new knowledge to develop smarter, better products, whilst increasing the efficiency and sustainability of chemicals manufacture.
To amplify the impacts of our CDT, effective public engagement and technology transfer will become crucially important. As a general comment, 'sustainability' styled research is often regarded in a positive light by society, however, the science that underpins its effective implementation is often poorly appreciated. The University of Nottingham has developed an effective communication portfolio (with dedicated outreach staff) to tackle this issue. In addition to more traditional routes of scientific communication and dissemination, A2P will develop a portfolio of engagement and outreach activities including blogs, webpages, public outreach events, and contribution of material to our award-winning YouTube channel, www.periodicvideos.com.
A2P will build on our successful Sustainable Chemicals and Processes Industry Forum (SCIF), which will provide entry to networks with a wide range of chemical science end-users (spanning multinationals through to speciality SMEs), policy makers and regulators. We will share new scientific developments and best practice with leaders in these areas, to help realise the full impact of our CDT. Annual showcase events will provide a forum where knowledge may be disseminated to partners, we will broaden these events to include participants from thematically linked CDTs from across the UK, we will build on our track record of delivering hi-impact inter-CDT events with complementary centres hosted by the Universities of Bath and Bristol.
People
A2P will provide over 60 PhD graduates with the skill sets required to deliver innovative sustainable products and processes into the UK chemicals manufacturing industry. A2P will inspire and develop leaders who will:
- understand the needs of industrial end-users;
- embed sustainability across a range of sectors; and
- catalyse the transition to a more productive and resilient UK economy.
Economy
A2P will promote a step change towards a circular economy that embraces resilience and efficiency in terms of atoms and energy. The benefits of adopting more sustainable design principles and smarter production are clear. For example, the global production of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) has been estimated at 65,000-100,000 tonnes per annum. The scale of associated waste is > 10 million tonnes per annum with a disposal cost of more than £15 billion. Consequently, even a modest efficiency increase by applying new, more sustainable chemical processes would deliver substantial economic savings and environmental wins. A2P will seek and deliver systematic gains across all sectors of the chemicals manufacturing industry. Our goals of providing cross-scale training in chemical sciences with economic and life- cycle awareness will drive uptake of sustainable best practice in UK industry, leading to improved economic competitiveness.
Knowledge
This CDT will deliver significant new knowledge in the development of more sustainable processes and products. It will integrate the philosophy of sustainability with catalysis, synthetic methodology, process engineering, and scale-up. Critical concepts such as energy/resource efficiency, life cycle analysis, recycling, and sustainability metrics will become seamlessly joined to what is considered a 'normal' approach to new molecular products. This knowledge and experience will be shared through publications, conferences and other engagement activities. A2P partners will provide efficient routes to market ensuring the efficient translation and transferal of new technologies is realised, ensuring impact is achieved.
Society
The chemistry-using industries manufacture a rich portfolio of products that are critical in maintaining a high quality of life in the UK. A2P will provide highly trained people and new knowledge to develop smarter, better products, whilst increasing the efficiency and sustainability of chemicals manufacture.
To amplify the impacts of our CDT, effective public engagement and technology transfer will become crucially important. As a general comment, 'sustainability' styled research is often regarded in a positive light by society, however, the science that underpins its effective implementation is often poorly appreciated. The University of Nottingham has developed an effective communication portfolio (with dedicated outreach staff) to tackle this issue. In addition to more traditional routes of scientific communication and dissemination, A2P will develop a portfolio of engagement and outreach activities including blogs, webpages, public outreach events, and contribution of material to our award-winning YouTube channel, www.periodicvideos.com.
A2P will build on our successful Sustainable Chemicals and Processes Industry Forum (SCIF), which will provide entry to networks with a wide range of chemical science end-users (spanning multinationals through to speciality SMEs), policy makers and regulators. We will share new scientific developments and best practice with leaders in these areas, to help realise the full impact of our CDT. Annual showcase events will provide a forum where knowledge may be disseminated to partners, we will broaden these events to include participants from thematically linked CDTs from across the UK, we will build on our track record of delivering hi-impact inter-CDT events with complementary centres hosted by the Universities of Bath and Bristol.
