PósENQ Programa de Pós-Graduação em Engenharia Química

Gianluca LI PUMA is Professor of Chemical and Environmental Engineering at University of Palermo (Italy). Previously, he was Professor at Loughborough University (UK), Assistant and Associate Professor at University of Nottingham (UK), and completed his Postdoc and PhD and at Hong Kong University of Science & Technology.

His research focuses on i) Environmental Nanocatalysis & Heterogeneous Photocatalysis, ii) Photo/Microbial Electrosynthesis Systems & Solar Fuels, iii) Advanced Disinfection, Advanced Water Detoxification & Reuse, iv) Photoreaction/Solar Engineering & Advanced Mathematical Modeling. It addresses problems with global significance including water scarcity & reuse, renewable energy & sustainability.

Gianluca Li Puma is Editor of Applied Catalysis B: Environmental and previously editor of Journal of Hazardous Materials. He has participated as committee member or as programme chair in the organization of over 80 international conferences in catalysis, engineering and environmental science, including at ACS National Meetings and Expositions, World Congress of Chemical Engineering, SPEA, EAAOP, IWA AGRO, R&R, IAP series. He is member of the International Advisory Board of the Water Research Centres in Cyprus (NIREAS), the EPSRC Solar-Fuel Network (UK) and UK Management Committee Member of EU COST Action ES1403 on “New and Emerging Challenges and Opportunities in Wastewater Reuse (NEREUS)” and CA18225 on “Taste and Odour in Early Diagnosis of Source and Drinking Water Problems (WATERTOP)”.

Registration will take on the date and location.

Abstract – Advanced oxidation processes (AOP), such as ozonation, photolysis, UV-H₂O₂, solar photo-Fenton, photocatalysis and photoelectrocatalysis have been demonstrated to be effective in the degradation of persistent pharmaceuticals residues in surface water, groundwater and wastewater. Radiation transport, fluid-dynamics and mass transport are all critical interlinked factors that govern the performance of chemical, photochemical and photoelectrochemical reactors. Through efficient reactor design, the radiation field in photoreactors can be optimized, the reactor fluid-dynamics can be matched to the radiation field to yield higher pharmaceuticals residues conversion, and the gas-liquid mass transfer in ozonation reactors can be intensified. In this presentation, the degradation of persistent pharmaceutical residues in water such as antidepressants, antibiotics, oestrogens, antiviral, antiretrovirals, antifungal and illicit drugs will be discussed in multi-scale photoreactors systems at both micro- and macro-scale such as multi-orifice oscillatory baffled column [1-2], fluoropolymer microcapillary array film photoreactors [3-5], pilot-scale solar fountain and compound parabolic collectors [6-8] and full-scale solar photo-Fenton raceway reactors [9]. The optimisation and intensification of pharmaceuticals removal in these and other AOP photoreactors will be examined.

Keywords: Pharmaceuticals; Photoreactor; Degradation;

References

1. Lucas, M.S.; Reis, N.M.; Li Puma, G. Intensification of ozonation processes in a novel, compact, multi-orifice oscillatory baffled column, Chemical Engineering Journal, 296 (2016) 335.

2. Reis, N.M.; Li Puma, G. Oscillatory Baffled Reactor and Gas-Liquid Reaction Process. PCT/GB2015/051975 published on 21 Jan 2016.

3. Reis, N.M.; Li Puma, G. A novel microfluidic approach for extremely fast and efficient photochemical transformations in fluoropolymer microcapillary films, Chemical Communications, 51 (2015) 8414.

4. Russo, D.; Siciliano, A.; Guida, M.; Andreozzi, R.; Reis, N.M.; Li Puma, G.; Marotta, R. Removal of antiretroviral drugs stavudine and zidovudine in water under UV254 and UV254/H₂O₂ processes: Quantum yields, kinetics and ecotoxicology assessment’ Journal of Hazardous Materials, 349 (2018) 195.

5. Moreira, R.P.M.; Li Puma, G. CFD modeling of pharmaceuticals and CECs removal by UV/H₂O₂ process in helical microcapillary photoreactors and evaluation and OH radical rate constants, Chemical Engineering Journal, 415 (2021) 128833.

6. Li Puma, G.; Puddu, V.; Tsang, H.K.; Gora, A.; Toepfer, B. Photocatalytic oxidation of multicomponent mixtures of estrogens (estrone (E1), 17β-estradiol (E2), 17α-ethynylestradiol (EE2) and estriol (E3)) under UVA and UVC radiation: Photon absorption, quantum yields and rate constants independent of photon absorption’, Applied Catalysis B: Environmental, 99 (2010) 388.

7. Prieto-Rodriguez, L.; Miralles-Cuevas, S.; Oller, I.; Agüera, A.; Li Puma, G.; Malato, S. Treatment of emerging contaminants in wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) effluents by solar photocatalysis using low TiO₂ concentrations’, Journal of Hazardous Materials, 211-212, (2012) 131.

8. Wang, D.; Mueses, M.A.; Colina-Marquez, J.; Machuca-Martinez, F.; Grčić, I.; Moreira, R.P.M.; Li Puma, G. Engineering and modeling perspectives on photocatalytic reactors for water treatment, Water Research, 202 (2021) 117421.

9. Moreira, R.P.M.; Cabrera Reina, A.; Soriano Molina, P.; Sanchez Perez, J.A.; Li Puma, G. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling of removal of contaminants of emerging concern in solar photo-Fenton raceway pond reactors, Chemical Engineering Journal, 413, (2021) 127392.