Novel catalytic systems for disposal of the halogenated pharmaceutical and personal care products

Pollution of the aquatic environment by pharmaceutical and personal care products is a major environmental issue that requires special attention and novel developments in water treatment.

Especially dangerous are halogenated chemicals: in addition to their own bioactivity, many of them and their decomposition products are toxic for environment and living organisms with possible carcinogenic effects. A promising way to dispose of them is by dehalogenation which can be performed using metal nanoparticles. To avoid the loss of the metal to the environment, which causes both a loss of activity and pollution, active nanoparticles must be firmly bound to a suitable carrier, so that the toxic chemicals have access the active surface.

Polymeric carriers are especially appropriate for this purpose and provide the possibility to perform reactions in a ‘green chemical’ manner. This project aims to create novel metal-polymeric catalytic systems appropriate for water purification by removing halogenated drug components using UK expertise in polymeric systems that clean water and methods from a Russian team well-versed in catalytic dechlorination of organic compounds.

A cryostructuration technology will be used to produce macroporous highly permeable polymers. The cryostructuration uses power of ice, formed in the reaction solution, to shape the internal structure of the polymer and create a well-developed system of micro channels filled with water after the ice crystals melt. Composite catalytic systems based on polymers and transition metals will be prepared, characterised by physical methods to tune electronic state of metals, and tested with model and then real environmental toxins.