NIT Rourkela Innovates Eco-Friendly Water Solution

National Institute of Technology Rourkela (NIT Rourkela) Research team has developed a reusable photocatalyst system capable of cleaning industrial wastewater using natural sunlight. Supported on spherical concrete beads, the innovative technology can provide a low-cost and eco-friendly solution to water pollution caused by industrial discharge.

The findings of this research have been published in the Journal of Water Processing Engineering, in a paper co-authored by Prof. Subhankar Paul, Biotechnology and Medical Engineering, along with Research Graduate, Dr. Sohel Das, and Research Scholar, Mr. Uma Sankar Mondal, from NIT Rourkela.

The research team has also filed two patents on the developed technology, invented by Prof. Subhankar Paul, Mr. Umasankar Mondal, Mr. Ashutosh Singh, and Dr. Sohel Das. These include –

• Title: Titania and Graphene Oxide Based Photo-Fenton Catalyst and Use Thereof
• Patent Application Number: 202331071180

• Status: Filed and Published

• Title: Development of green concrete beads coated with metal doped nanoTitania and silica conjugate as photocatalyst and use thereof
• Patent Application number: 202431083867

• Status: Filed, Published and FER issued

The release of chemical waste into water bodies is a global concern. Harmful chemicals such as synthetic dyes and organic compounds from the textile, leather, paint, pharmaceutical, and metal processing industries pose a serious threat to water bodies and can cause cancer or organ toxicity in humans.

While efforts are being made globally to develop affordable catalysts or methods, many of these are focused on developing catalytic materials that use sunlight to drive chemical reactions. However, most of the photocatalysts are difficult to reuse, limiting their practicality in large-scale applications. Furthermore, these catalysts require Ultraviolet (UV) light to drive the conversions, which necessitates dedicated UV sources, adding to the complexity and cost of the system.

To address these challenges, the NIT Rourkela researchers, led by Prof. S. Paul, have developed an innovative photocatalyst system. The developed system combines iron-doped nano-titania (Fe-nTiO2) with graphene oxide and immobilises the compound on specially designed spherical concrete beads. These beads are made from green concrete using coal fly ash-derived zeolite, a sustainable approach that repurposes industrial waste and offers high mechanical strength, porosity, and absorption capacity. This composite material uses sunlight to break down toxic pollutants in wastewater efficiently.

The developed photocatalyst beads can be added to the wastewater reservoir exposed to sunlight and easily removed once the water treatment is complete. Since the developed technology does not rely on an external energy source, it can be used easily in rural and resource-constrained areas.

The developed technology can potentially treat industrial effluents, municipal wastewater, and contaminated natural water sources. As the global concerns over water pollution continue to grow, this NIT Rourkela innovation provides a timely and sustainable response to address the challenge.