Research Projects

Microplastics in water bodies cause severe environmental and human health risks due to their long-term stability, and interference with aquatic ecosystems. The critical insight into various literature on removing microplastics demonstrates that coagulation, electrocoagulation and biological methods were primarily deployed to remove the microplastics. These processes are reported to be expensive, and more time-consuming. In this context, using an alternative less expensive process would be beneficial for the removal of microplastics. Photocatalysis, with its potential for breaking down microplastics into non-toxic byproducts under mild conditions, offers a promising solution. Developing advanced photocatalysts, such as magnetic N-doped TiO₂ combined with reduced graphene oxide, can enhance the degradation efficiency, making the process both effective and reusable. This proposal aims to develop magnetic N-doped TiO₂ photocatalyst integrated with reduced graphene oxide which can effectively degrade microplastics in wastewater into non-toxic byproducts under visible light irradiation. To achieve this, following procedure will be adopted: 1. Synthesis and Characterization: Synthesize and characterize the photocatalyst using techniques such as, XRD, SEM, TEM, FTIR, and BET analysis to confirm its structural and chemical properties. 2. Degradation Studies: Perform degradation studies of microplastics under varying experimental conditions (e.g., light intensity, catalyst loading, and reaction time). The degradation will be monitored using UV-visible spectroscopy instrument. 3. Reusability Assessment: Evaluating the stability and reusability of photocatalysts through multiple degradation cycles. Significance to the Field: The proposed proposal's objective is to understand the fundamentals of photocatalytic degradation mechanisms for microplastics using a novel photocatalyst. The proposed study results will have significant implications for eco-friendly methods to mitigate microplastic pollution, offering scalable, reusable, and help in policy making. This work can inspire further research on advanced photocatalysts and promote their application in industrial-scale wastewater treatment systems.