Mohali: Researchers at the Institute of Nano Science and Technology (INST) in Mohali have created an affordable way to remove harmful hexavalent chromium from industrial wastewater. Using sunlight and microfluidic technology, this method changes the toxic hexavalent chromium into a much safer form, making the water less dangerous.
Dr. Bhanu Prakash and his team used a process called continuous flow photoreduction in their research. They tested this method in wastewater using TiO2 nanoparticles and tracked the results with a smartphone-based color test. This approach is affordable, environmentally friendly, and uses renewable energy to achieve a 95% reduction in pollutants.
One major benefit of this method is that the photocatalyst can be reused without needing extra chemicals to recover it, making the process more efficient and practical. The researchers also adjusted different factors like the reactor design, flow speed, and channel length to make the pollutant breakdown process work better.
The study published in the Chemical Engineering Journal highlights a new technique that could be very useful for industries. By arranging small reactors in parallel or by adding tiny textures to larger reactor surfaces, the process can become much faster and more efficient. This could lead to cheaper and better ways to clean wastewater, especially in industries like leather tanning and electroplating, where chromium pollution is a big issue.
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