Membranas ativas de fibras de madeira para a captura e transformação de microplásticos

The main objective of the present operation is to develop new membrane separation and reaction units based on functional wood fibers, with high microplastics capturing capacity from water and high (photo)catalytic activity for microplastics transformation into value-added materials. To achieve the main objective, a series of specific objectives were outlined: 1) Utilization of wood fibers from pine wood scraps, as a cheap and abundant Portuguese resource, for the preparation of innovative eco-friendly membranes. 2) Wood fibers functionalization with active units using biocompatible reactants, recyclable solvents, and microwave heating. 3) Use of computer modeling to obtain insightful information on the physisorption process of plastic polymers on different wood fibers surface compositions. 4) Develop membrane separation units based on a natural polymer and deep eutectic solvents, aiming an optimized, sustainable, technical, and economically viable separation process. 5) Conducting experimental tests to evaluate the effectiveness of wood fibers membranes for microplastics removal from wastewater and aquifers from the north region of Portugal. 6) Carry out an evaluation of the effect of surface water salinity on the efficiency of the process. 7) Develop a Proof-of-Concept for a separation unit to be tested in a wastewater treatment plant effluent. 8) Explore the catalytic and photo-assisted depolymerization of plastics such as polyesters, polyamides, polycarbonates, polyurethanes, using NaBH4 as a reducing agent, widely considered as a low-cost H2 storage material. 9) Explore the fragmentation of alkane-backbone based polymers such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, by catalytic/photocatalytic oxidation with a green oxidant such as hydrogen peroxide. 10) Recover aromatic monomers obtained from plastics catalytic depolymerization for the purpose of creating advanced fluorescent materials for integration into devices and sensors.