Project ID: CONTRACT No. 100

Project Director: Dr. Corina Bradu

Project Type: PNCDI II Programul “Parteneriate” – Proiecte Colaborative de Cercetare Aplicativă (PCCA)

Project Program: PARTENERIATE IN DOMENIILE PRIORITARE

Funded by: Romanian National Authority for Scientific Research, UEFISCDI

Contractor: Universitatea din Bucureşti, PROTMED

Start Date: 2012

End Date: 2016

Project Abstract: 

More than 40% of groundwater from agricultural area of European Community (including Romania) have nitrate concentration above guidelines value. Toxic and persistent organochlorine pesticides have been detected adjacent to nitrates in water sources. Thus removal of nitrates and organochlorine pesticides from water is becoming a developing area of research. Along with Good Agricultural Practices, additional actions like water treatment can speed up water sources remediation.

This project focus on the development of an efficient and cost-effective integrated technology for the nitrate and pesticides removal from water contaminated as a result of the agricultural practices, leading to the protection and remediation of natural water resources. The project considers all the steps necessary from the development of suitable treatments up to the elaboration of the experimental model for the integrated water treatment technology. This approach maximizes the benefits of the project by combining innovative water treatments to reduce the environmental impact generated by the two important classes of water pollutants. Up to now the removal of nitrate and organochlorine pesticides from water was considered separately, through individual treatment processes. Our project proposes an integrated approach while several combined processes (catalytic liquid-phase reduction, catalytic advanced oxidation and ion exchange process) might be applied for both nitrate and organochlorine pesticides removal. Novel catalysts based on noble metals supported on nano-structured alumina or ion exchange resins will be used in this respect. The proposed technology could be applied for drinking water treatment and water resources remediation as well. The multidisciplinary Consortium is well balanced to achieve the global goal of the project with scientists experts in various water treatments and water analysis, advanced materials synthesis and materials complex characterization.