Adsorption and catalysis: the READ group view

Prof. Dr. Bassim H. Hameed (Right) and Patrick U. Okoye, PhD student (Left)

Adsorption and catalysis: the READ group view

Patrick U. Okoye, PhD student

Although, the threat to our planet by man’s social and economic activities could sometimes get “overblown” by pro-green groups, however, the reality remains that the earth temperature is rising steadily and glacial in the arctic is melting faster, which inadvertently disrupts the ecosystem. The observable rise in earth temperatures also called global warming, is mainly caused by increased “poisonous gas (CO₂, NO_X, and SO_X, CFC) emission because of the industrial revolution and man’s technological advancement. 

Pollution is not always limited to air but also the aqua bodies (water) of which biodiversity has been seriously affected. Water pollution is primarily due to effluent discharge from vast industrial processes such as dye and textile production, petroleum refining, food industries and pharmaceuticals. The disposal and/or containment of these effluent most times are problematic and they end up in the underground water or surface water wreaking more damage.  Degradation or total suppression at point source would be the only ideal means to mitigate the devastating effect of these industrial discharges and this is where the ReactionEngineering & Adsorption (READ) research group, School of Chemical Engineering,  Universiti Sains Malaysia take the lead.

The group mandate is to key into clean and greener research using set priorities and principles of basic adsorption and reaction engineering (READ) techniques. The READ group success is drawn from efficient utilization of abundant natural/industrial sources of wastes. These wastes are treated using state-of-the art laboratory equipment that are designed by the READ group and locally fabricated to cut cost.

Modern scientific research emphasizes on achieving excellence through interdisciplinary research to propagate wider research scope. Lead by a reputable Prof. Dr. Bassim H. Hameed, the group has achieved excellence in various research areas ranging from pyrolysis, glycerol-free biodiesel synthesis, fine chemical synthesis utilizing crude glycerol, adsorption of heavy metals and dyes from industrial waste water, photocatalytic reaction, suppression of antibiotics from pharmaceuticals discharge, CO₂, NO_x and SO_x adsorption etc. Over 240 publications in high impact factor journals with about seventeen thousand citations are credited to the READ group’s leader. 

WASTE TO WEALTH—Utilization of iron oxide-slag derived from electric arc furnace in the degradation of water pollutants

WASTE TO WEALTH—Utilization of iron oxide-slag derived from electric arc furnace in the degradation of water pollutants

Norhaslinda Nasuha, a PhD student at School of ChemicalEngineering, Universiti Sains Malaysia and member of Reaction Engineering &Adsorption (READ) research group lead by Prof. Dr. Bassim H. Hameed, reports new Fenton-like catalyst for the degradation of Reactive Black 5 dye. Their results were recently published in the Journal of the Taiwan Institute ofChemical Engineers (Elsevier) with an Impact Factor of 2.848.

“Our aim in this work was to develop a low-cost, effective and robust Fenton-like catalyst for the degradation of reactive dyes in aqueous solution. In searching for possible waste material, iron rich slag derived from an electric arc furnace (EAFS) from steel making industry was found to be a good potential” explained Prof. Bassim.

Organic pollutants containing dye wastewater has become a serious threat to public health and the hydrosphere. To comply with the limit set by USEPA, advanced oxidation process (AOPs) has attracted enormous attention in wastewater treatment due to its green, efficient, and simple method. However, the economic expediency is still restricted with limitations, such as cost of catalyst, post-treatment requirement, and loss of catalyst occurring during the reaction process.

Byproducts of steel industries are known as metal-rich sources depending on the type of steel being manufactured. Electric arc furnace (EAF) plays an important role in making modern steel and dominates the overall steel production in Malaysia. With respect to end-products, slag is formed from lime to collect undesirable components in the EAF slag (EAFS), which is classified as steel waste. In the long term, the slag not only occupies a great quantity of land, but gives rise to environmental pollutions. Various recycling methods have been reported to utilize this material including in road construction, cement production, and ceramic tile making.

To date, characteristics of EAFS have revealed that it contains more than 25% iron oxide and other complex metal oxides. In addition, it can be easily recovered through magnetic separation. Therefore, the EAFS is a potential heterogeneous catalyst in environmental application.

In particular, magnetite and maghemite contained in the EAFS will work efficiently as a heterogeneous catalyst in AOPs, especially Fenton-like reactions. The use of EAFS as Fenton heterogeneous catalyst will be beneficial for producing a highly active radical (HO•) and allowing redox reaction without structure change. However, thermal treatment is required to improve the functionality of the EAFS.

“From an application in Fenton-like process, the activated EAFS (A-EAFS) presents better performance in degradation of Reactive Black 5 than raw EAFS”, said PhD student Nasuha.

According to Nasuha, A-EAFS exhibits high degradation of RB5 with insignificant iron leaching even after 10 consecutive cycles of oxidative degradation under optimal conditions.

Moreover, the team found that A-EAFS preserved its surface activity by keeping its crystalline phase (i.e., iron oxide) and similar morphological features even after 10 cycles of reaction. The interaction between maghemite and magnetite is believed to play a dominant role in accelerating the redox cycles of active sites in the generation of Fe2+, thereby allowing the continuous oxidative degradation of RB5 in the heterogeneous Fenton-like reaction.

The characteristic of EAFS has opened new ways for developing another advanced material. “We are now exploring the full potential of EAFS as material for reaction and separation applications with colleagues from READ group”, Nasuha said.

Work experience in the READ Research group

Work experience in the READ Research group

Dr. Waheed Ahmad Khanday

Postdoctoral Fellow

Universiti Sains Malaysia

It is now the seventh month of my work as a Postdoctoral Fellow in the READ Research group and here I am to share my work experience with all of you. I will start with a quote “The best bosses aren’t bosses—they are leaders. ‘Boss’ is a job; ‘Leader’ is a career” and I feel privileged to work with one quality leader in the person of Prof. Dr. Bassim H. Hameed who never says “Go!” but always says “Let’s Go!.” One will find him every day in the laboratory engaging with his group and he always has time to discuss and assist the students regarding their research problems.

Let me start from the beginning. Despite having numerous offers, it was quite easy for me to choose Prof. Bassim after getting his nod considering the kind of work profile he has generated over the last decade. I was also personally following his research from my Ph.D. days. With my subsequent interactions with him, I came to know that he is not only a successful researcher but also a very nice human being. He assisted in guiding me for my travel all the way from my hometown to the Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) campus. My first personal meeting with Prof. Bassim was quite memorable; he took me to the laboratory to meet my colleagues and to show the experimental setups and also he helped me in settling all the documents required for my joining.

As for the laboratory facilities, the READ research group is equipped with all the necessary equipment required for the kind of research going on in this group. One good thing is that Prof. Bassim allows all students in his group to use the available resources to its full potential. Specific working stations are allotted to each student in an air-conditioned lab. Prof. Bassim ensures the availability of chemicals, glass wares, and other laboratory necessities so that no student gets stuck.

All the READ group members are quite hardworking, and I have never before seen such electrifying work enthusiasm. Each group member is cooperative, interactive, and eager to work in collaboration. We always discuss our research problems with the professor and with each other so as to reach a solution. As a routine, Prof. Bassim delivers lectures to the group members regarding safety and motivation. He always keeps on encouraging his students and never allows them to get demoralized at any point of their research.

I feel privileged to work with one of the internationally recognized researchers in his group, and I would like to thank Prof. Bassim and the READ group members for their kind support and cooperation. I wish to continue working with this group in the future.