Research Projects

Phosphate and glyphosate are major pollutants that affect surface and groundwater quality. They enter water through direct discharge from industry, improper handling of fertilizers and pesticides, and improper disposal of household wastes. Seasonal variations affect the amount of glyphosate in surface water, often exceeding legal limits. These pollutants are hazardous to human and aquatic life and cause abnormal growth, metabolism, reproduction, and behavioral changes. To decontaminate these pollutants, low-cost adsorbents derived from agro wastes, such as rice straw and rice husk, are proposed. Mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSN) will be prepared from rice husk, while rice straw biochar (RSB) will be prepared from rice straw. Mesoporous silica has pore structures suitable for adsorption of contaminants, while biochar has enough surface-active functional groups for sorption. Both MSN and biochar have been used individually for contaminant removal, but they have not been used in combination. The proposed combination product aims to have enough pore structures and surface-active functional groups for high adsorption of phosphate and glyphosate. The proposed study aims to answer questions about the efficiency of individual sorbents, the potential for modulating the structure of the complex, the potential for large-scale decontamination of waste-water, and the possibility of reactivating and potentially reusing them.

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