Project start date: 26.03.2024

Project completion date: 30.06.2026

Project director and host institution:

Name: Bellucci

First name: Stefano

Date of birth: 04/06/1957

PhD graduate since (year): 1986

Telephone: +39069438222; +39360811243

E-mail address: bellucci@lnf.infn.it

Name of the institution: Institutul National de Cercetare-Dezvoltare pentru Fizica Materialelor-INCDFM (in English, National Institute of Materials Physics-NIMP)

Address of the institution: Atomistilor street no. 405A, Magurele City, Ilfov County, 077125, Romania

The contact person in the institution: Dr. Mihaela Baibarac

Financing contract number: 760270/26.03.2024.

Abstract

Environmental pollution from industrial and anthropogenic activities is causing a serious and a real threat. The increasing quantities of the pollutants discharged into the environment represent the major factor in the degradation of the ecosystem quality, the elimination of pollutants (P) being of imperative importance. This project aims to develop a technology to manufacture a filtration device for the treatment of contaminated water with a high P decontamination efficiency. The strategy addressed aims at preparing membranes (MEMs) by the phase inversion process method, which will allow the incorporation of decontamination agents (DA) into the poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) matrix combined with the deposition of the DA colloidal dispersion on the MEM surface by aerosol spraying, followed by a fusion process of inorganic nanoparticles achieved by a thermal treatment or a plasma and UV light surface treatment to increase the adhesion of the nanoparticles to the PVC MEM. The expected impact of this project and the potential benefits are: a) the realization of a filtration device based on a set of MEMs, which successively removes organic compounds, various anions and heavy metals ions; b) the preparation of new optical sensors using surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) as analytical technique for monitoring of the Ps concentration in wastewaters; c) the training of a new generation of young people with expertise in polluted water management; and d) the dissemination of results through publication in ISI Q1 journals and patent applications.These results will ensure the prospects for a high rate of successful participation in the environmentally focused calls launched by Horizon 2022.