Researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur and UK’s Cardiff University have bagged a funding to develop waste water treatment solutions.
The joint funding received by scholars from both the top institutes comes from the Global Challenges Research Fund – Impact Acceleration Account (GCRF-IAA) Project 2020 towards the development of a photo-electro-catalytic (PEC) reactor for wastewater treatment, according to a statement issued by IIT Kharagpur.
“A key issue in wastewater treatment is the removal of recalcitrant organic pollutants. Photo-electro-catalysis is an effective and sustainable mechanism that employs photocatalysts to degrade the polluting particles. At IIT Kharagpur we will initiate catalytic development, characterization, design of the PEC plant and optimizing the technology in order to make a proof of concept for end-users/industries,” said A Rajakumar, professor from the department of Chemistry at IIT Kharagpur.
The scientists at school of chemistry of Cardiff University will conduct sophisticated studies on the catalytic materials using technical tools and high-end computational calculations, the IIT Kharagpur statement said.
Wastewater is increasingly becoming a global ‘health and livelihood challenge’, especially in developing countries. Globally, 80% of wastewater re-enters the ecosystem without any treatment affecting the health and livelihood of around 1.8 billion people, according to the UN-Water.
However, this wastewater can play a significant role in addressing urban water challenges, production of bioenergy, and even serve as a resource in sustainable agriculture and industries. Over the years, researchers at IIT Kharagpur have developed innovative solutions for recycling and reusing wastewater and wet-waste.
“We are planning to do testing of the pilot-plant operation in the field after initial lab-based experiments and demonstrate the outcome for the benefit of industries by offering a reliable solution of water treatment technology,” the statement said.
The GCRF grant, which is part of the £1.5 billion fund coordinated by UK Research and Innovation, will ensure the maximisation of collaborative opportunities between the two institutions as part of its mandate to address the challenges faced by developing countries in agreement with the UN sustainable development goals, the statement added.
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