Sustainable materials and technologies to mitigate environmental impact

Abstract:

In the context of advancing the Global Goals outlined in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, renewable materials and sustainable technologies have emerged in mitigating environmental impact by replacing fossil-based materials, minimizing chemical use, and lowering carbon footprints. Resource-abundant natural biopolymers are a versatile candidate due to their biocompatibility and biodegradability, enabling their use in a wide range of applications across various industries. Despite the great potential, challenges like high production costs, inferior performance, and lack of end-of-life management, limit the widespread use of natural biopolymers as replacement for conventional plastics in packaging and binders in paints. Water pollution is another critical global challenge that directly threatens the achievement of several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Traditional methods in advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) such as Fenton oxidation, ozonation, and photocatalysis, are less effective in modern wastewater treatment for degrading organic pollutants. The high operational cost on large amounts of chemical reagents and energy input, problems of pH sensitivity and secondary pollution, make them economically impractical for large-scale wastewater treatment.

In this lecture, I will present recent development of functionalization of chitosan and its application in food packaging and marine antifouling, demonstrating the potential of chitosan as sustainable alternatives to conventional synthetic polymers. I will also discuss the recent advances of heterogeneous photo-Fenton system in treating persistent chemicals to overcome the required acidic condition and high hydrogen peroxide consumption in traditional yet non-sustainable practices.

Welcome!