Graduate Student Ulfet Erdogan in the Chemistry and Biochemistry Department here at Clarkson University will present about Sustainable waste-derived adsorbents for phosphorus removal from eutrophic water: Phosphorus is an indispensable and irreplaceable fertilizer for crops and livestock production. However, the large increase in the use of phosphorus fertilizers escalated eutrophication in water bodies. The demand for phosphorus fertilizers has grown over the last years due to the expanding production of crops, the rising population, and changing human diets resulting in increased meat consumption, and biofuel production. Thus, P fertilizer resources are crucial for food security in developing countries. However, phosphorus is obtained from a limited, non-renewable, and irreplaceable resource, and its global distribution is uneven. The European Commission listed phosphorus as a critical raw material in 2014 and it is predicted that these reserves are going to be depleted in the next 300-400 years. The requirement is to ensure the sustainability of phosphorus through recovery to prevent water eutrophication and to facilitate the reuse of the recovered phosphorus as a resource. This study explores developing sustainable phosphorus adsorbents from plant-based waste-derived materials addressing remediation of phosphorus from eutrophic water. We aim to create reusable adsorbents from environmentally friendly waste such as spent coffee grounds, woodchips, and luffa. Modify these adsorbents with CeO2 nanostructures to remove and recover phosphorus. After removal, these materials can be repurposed as fertilizers, thus ensuring the phosphorus cycle’s sustainability. Our objectives are to upcycle waste as adsorbents, mitigate P-related water contamination, and recycle the adsorbed P for agricultural use, aligning with sustainability goals.
Friday, October 18th, 2024, 3:30 PM, BH Snell Hall 214Potsdam Campus
Zoom Information: Link
Meeting ID: 950 1099 7564
Passcode: chemistry