Superfund Research Program
Combining Plants and Sunlight to Break Down Hazardous Compounds
Release Date: 12/04/2024
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Highlights
- Researchers created a new material from a plant-based compound that uses sunlight to break down hazardous compounds, like PFAS.
- The material can also act as a sterilization agent.
- This green approach may be useful for a variety of chemical-removal and sterilization applications.
Research Summary
Researchers funded by the NIEHS Superfund Research Program designed a new material that effectively degrades harmful compounds, like PFAS, and bacteria. By combining the power of sunlight and a component of plants, called lignin, this approach harnesses sustainable and renewable resources to reduce exposures and protect health.
“Most current chemical degradation processes and sterilization techniques require harsh reaction conditions, use non-renewable resources, or are not environmentally friendly,” said project lead Susie Dai, Ph.D., of University of Missouri. “We wanted to address and overcome some of the limitations of more sustainable approaches that have been emerging.”
Designing and testing the new material
To create the new material, Dai and postdoctoral researcher Wan Zhang, Ph.D., combined lignin with titanium dioxide to create a 3D polymer structure. Lignin is an abundant organic polymer that forms the structural tissue in most plants. Titanium dioxide is an inorganic compound derived from the metal titanium that has been previously shown to speed up chemical reactions under ultraviolet radiation.
For this experiment, the researchers placed the newly formed polymer structure under solar light, which activated it to become a photocatalyst, a term for a material that is chemically activated by light.
“We wanted to design a photocatalyst that was able to degrade chemicals under natural conditions,” said Zhang. “Being effective in everyday settings would set it apart from other photocatalysts which require UV light.”
A solution for PFAS removal
In the lab, the scientists showed that the new material was able to degrade the perfluorooctanoic acid molecule (PFOA) into shorter chain PFAS. PFOAs are a type of PFAS used in a variety of products and firefighting foams since the 1940s that have been found in water, soil, and air. At certain levels, studies have shown that PFAS are harmful to human health.
In the lab, the new material was able to successfully remove PFOA. Adding more of the material improved performance, with up to 50% of the PFOA removed within hours.
A wide range of applications
The photocatalyst was also tested against a mobile device coated with Pseudomonas putida bacteria, which it was able to sterilize in a similar manner to a commercial disinfection wipe.
It also degraded a prescription drug called atenolol within five minutes, quicker than any of the other materials they tested.
Impact Statement
"This approach overcomes many previous limitations for environmentally friendly chemical degradation and sterilization,” said Dai. “Enhancing efficiency, particularly under normal environmental conditions, can broaden potential applications of this technique to better protect human and environmental health.”
For More Information Contact:
Susie Dai
University of Missouri
124 Bond Life Sciences Center
Columbia, Missouri 65201
Phone: 573-882-0619
Email: sydai@missouri.edu
To learn more about this research, please refer to the following sources:
- Zhang W, Hu C, Lai J, Dai S. 2024. 3D structure-functional design of a biomass-derived photocatalyst for antimicrobial efficacy and chemical degradation under ambient conditions. Green Chem 26(19):10139-10151. doi:10.1039/d4gc01246a PMID:39247131
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