(619e) Novel Methods for Degrading Water/Air Pollutants with Catalytic Membrane Filters

Upon discovering wide-spread industrial-based pollution of water and air sources, as well as the negative health effects that human exposure leads to, a significant need for clean air and water has been on the rise. In response to this need, considerable advances in the development of new technologies, as well as in the enhancement of existing methods, has become vital for the health longevity of the affected communities. Novel responsive materials were synthesized to capture and degrade pollutants from air and water sources. For SARS-CoV-2 as an air pollutant, a water-retaining polymer hydrogel was incorporated into enzyme-functionalized membranes, allowing for greater cleavage of the virus’ spike glycoprotein with enzymes of higher hydration. For polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) as an industrial water pollutant, flat-sheet membranes were synthesized using catalytic zero-valent iron-palladium nanoparticles. In this system, catalytic activity was enhanced by incorporating a thermo-responsive polymer (with an increased expression of hydrophobic domains above 32°C) for overcoming existing mass-transfer limitations. Further enhancement can be seen with near infrared (NIR) excitation of the plasmonic Pd particles, allowing for cost-effective heating of surface catalyst (with subsequent increase in activity), as well as implementation of functionalization in hollow-fiber membranes, resulting in greater treatment capacity per volume of membrane. Overall, the synthesis of these membranes and the implementation of novel methods can result in a realistic increase of treatment abilities for the environmental remediation of water and air sources. This research is supported by the NSF-RAPID program, NSF GRFP, and by NIEHS.