Marta Litter

Title : Use of iron nanomaterials for the treatment of emergent contaminants in water

Abstract:

Iron-based nanomaterials are increasingly used in environmental applications. Different types of iron-based nanomaterials, namely, zerovalent iron nanoparticles, nanoparticles of iron oxides, and nanoparticles prepared from iron salts and natural extracts by green procedures, are briefly indicated in this presentation, together with their preparation, characterization, and applications in the treatment of pollutants in water, with emphasis on the works performed in the last 10 years. In terms of preparation, top-down procedures such as mechanical milling, nanolithography, laser ablation, sputtering, and thermal decomposition, and bottom-up methods such as chemical synthesis, sol-gel, spinning, chemical vapor deposition (CVD), pyrolysis, and biosynthesis are indicated for nanoparticle production. The most commonly used nanomaterials are inorganic nanoparticles based on metal and metal oxides and, among them, iron-based materials have been widely used in the removal of pollutants in water. Among pollutants, halogenated organics, nitroaromatics, pesticides, dyes, antibiotics, halogenated aromatics, phenolic compounds, PCBs, inorganic anions such as nitrate and heavy metals and metalloids (e.g., Hg, Pb, Cr, Cu, As, Ni, Zn, Cd, and Ag); radioisotopes of Ba, TcO4, and U, and antibacterial activity against Gram-positive and negative bacteria have been successfully treated. In some cases, iron-based nanoparticles have been combined with H2O2 in Fenton processes. In this presentation, examples of emergent contaminants are specially discussed. The advantages of using these materials and the need for their improvement to extend their deployment are remarked

Biography:

Prof. Litter is Dr. in Chemistry (Buenos Aires University, Argentina), with postdoctoral studies at the University of Arizona, USA. She is a Senior Researcher at the National Research Council and a Full Professor and Consultant at the National University of San Martín (Argentina). She has more than 250 publications in journals, books, and book chapters. She received the Mercosur Prize (2006 and 2011), the Charreau Prize for Regional Scientific-Technological Cooperation, the Prize for Latin American Women in Chemistry (2021), and the Houssay Prize (2022). She was designated pioneer in photocatalysis in Argentina and is a Member of TWAS, ACAL, and the Argentine Academy of Environmental Sciences. She received the Konex Diploma and the Platinum Prize in 2023.