Ministry of Earth Sciences Hosts National Media Interaction on 'Mission Mausam' The Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) held a national-level media interaction on the ambitious Mission Mausam at Prithvi Bhavan, New Delhi. The session was led by Dr. M Ravichandran, Secretary of MoES, alongside Dr. Mritunjay Mohapatra, Director General of the India Meteorological Department (IMD), and Dr. V.S. Prasad, Head of the National Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF). Approved by the Union Cabinet on September 11, 2024, with a budget of ₹2,000 crores over two years, Mission Mausam aims to transform India into a "Weather-Ready" and "Climate-Smart" nation. The mission focuses on advancing the country's weather and climate observation, modeling, and forecasting capabilities, to provide more accurate and timely services. Key Objectives of Mission Mausam: Develop Cutting-Edge Technologies: Introduce next-generation radars, satellites with advanced instr...
INST Researchers Develop Innovative, Low-Cost Method to Remove Toxic Chromium from Industrial Wastewater
Researchers at the Institute of Nano Science and Technology (INST) in Mohali have pioneered a cost-effective and environmentally friendly method to remove toxic hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) from industrial wastewater. This innovative approach, which leverages sunlight as a catalyst combined with cutting-edge microfluidic technology, offers a promising solution for industries such as leather tanning and electroplating.
Hexavalent chromium is notorious for its toxicity, posing significant health risks if present in drinking water. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the safe concentration limits for Cr(VI) and trivalent chromium (Cr(III)) in drinking water are 0.05 mg/L and 5 mg/L, respectively. The challenge of reducing Cr(VI) to its less harmful trivalent form has prompted the development of various methods, including ion exchange, adsorption, and chemical reduction. However, these methods are often expensive and inefficient.
Dr. Bhanu Prakash’s research group at INST has developed a novel technique that utilizes sunlight for catalysis in conjunction with microfluidic technology to convert toxic Cr(VI) into the less toxic Cr(III). This process, known as continuous flow photoreduction, was validated in wastewater using titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles and a smartphone-based colorimetric technique.
One of the standout features of this method is its cost-effectiveness, coupled with the use of renewable energy. Additionally, the microfluidic approach allows for precise control over the reduction efficiency by fine-tuning parameters such as flow rate, reactor dimensions, and architecture. This precision enables superior degradation efficiency without the need for recovery agents or complex processes.
In their experiments, the researchers optimized various microfluidic parameters, including reactor design, flow rate, and channel length, along with different catalyst phases. They achieved an impressive degradation efficiency of 95% using a serpentine microreactor coated with a pure anatase phase photocatalyst at a flow rate of 50 µl/min.
The process began with the fabrication of microfluidic reactors and the synthesis of nanocatalysts. The nanocatalyst was then immobilized onto the microreactor bed, and flow experiments were conducted to monitor the extent of Cr(VI) conversion through changes in absorbance using UV-Vis spectroscopy. The team also evaluated the long-term stability of both the microreactor and the photocatalyst across multiple cycles and processed volumes.
Published in the Chemical Engineering Journal, this groundbreaking work holds significant potential for industrial application. By increasing the throughput of the process, either through parallel microfluidic reactor arrays or by microtexturing bulk reactor surfaces, this approach could revolutionize how industries manage toxic chromium in wastewater, making the process both more efficient and sustainable.
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