Increased Degradation of Organic Contaminants Through Engineered Microfluidic Devices

Abstract

Access to clean water is a fundamental human right and a key determinant of health, yet millions lack access to safe drinking water. The lack of water accessibility can lead to serious health, social, and geopolitical consequences which hinders the development of our global community. Innovative approaches to water purification are vital. The objective of this project is to develop a microfluidic system for efficient water purification using photocatalytic reactions. Zinc oxide nanostructures serve as the photocatalyst, which has been shown to have high efficiency and stability in water purification. The microfluidic reactor design enhances the reaction rate. The performance of the system is monitored by the removal of Methylene Blue from water samples. This project includes the fabrication of a microfluidic reactor in an effort to improve the degradation reaction. Various parameters, including the concentration of the photocatalyst, the timescale of nanowire formation, the flow rate, the geometry of the reactor are studied in an effort to observe the behavior of the system through experiment and analysis to gain a better understanding of the actual performance of the system and identify discrepancies or deviations from theoretical predictions. Theoretical applications of the experimental system are discussed. Finally, this work recommends possible avenues for further research from the experimental conclusions.