Illinois Researchers Take Novel Approach to Removing PPCPs from Water

When you dump expired cold syrup or rinse out an almost empty bottle of lotion into the sink, do you ever consider what chemicals are being introduced into the water supply?

The increase of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) entering public water systems was a problem that researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign challenged themselves to solve thanks to seed funding from the Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment (iSEE).

“PPCPs pose dangerous ecological and health effects on chronic exposure even if they are present in low concentrations,” said Dipanjan Pan, Associate Professor and the Director of Professional MS Program in Bioengineering. “We believe we have found a low-cost way to remove these harmful chemicals — and by making it biodegradable, we won’t be introducing any complications to wildlife.”

A team led by Pan collaborated with Wei Zheng, Senior Research Scientist at the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC, a Division of the Prairie Research Institute), and B.K. Sharma, Senior Research Engineer at ISTC, to develop a unique technology to alter the harmful chemicals introduced to water. The results of their study were recently published in Journal of Materials Chemistry A.

Team members from Pan Laboratory created a “smart filter,” called a Pharmaceutical Nano-CarboScavenger (PNC), that efficiently and safely removes carbamazepine (found in medications treating a wide-range of physical and mental health issues), gemfibrozil (found in cholesterol medication), and triclocarban (an antibacterial agent found in soaps and lotions) from water. 

This filter is vastly different from your average water filter. It places activated charcoal and sand on top of the PNCs, which are carbon-filled cores made from agave. Water is allowed in, the activated charcoal removes heavy metals, the sand helps remove impurities and contaminants, and the PNCs scavenge through the water to remove the PPCP pollutants.

“A nanoengineered system that is based on an environmentally degradable system is a major and unmet need,” Zheng said. “The materials are derived from inexpensive natural sources and completely biodegradable, making this approach highly adaptable and environmentally friendly for mass processes.”

Other collaborators on the project: Indu Tripathi, former Postdoctoral Visiting Scholar in Bioengineering; Laurel K. Dodgen, former Illinois Postdoc and current Physical Scientist for the U.S. Department of the Interior; Fatemeh Ostadhossein, M.S. and Ph.D. Candidate in Bioengineering; Santosh Misra, former iSEE Postdoctoral Researcher in Bioengineering; and Enrique Daza, a recent Bioengineering Ph.D. graduate and an M.B.A. Candidate from Pan’s lab.

Backed by iSEE funding, Pan’s Nano-CarboScavenger team also has explored remediating crude oil spills in water and had successes in the lab at clumping oil globules that could be scooped by a fine net — again, with the particles completely biodegradable and having no effect on wildlife if consumed. Pan and his team have also explored possible cancer treatments using nanoparticles.

Two new ISTC technical reports now available

ISTC has published two new technical reports. In Yet-to-emerge contaminants in the Great Lakes region: Analytical method development and measurement of concentrations in a Great Lakes fish, researchers developed a screening method to extract and analyze a group of ten persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic (PBT) substances and applied those methods to measure the concentrations of those compounds in lake trout collected from Lake Michigan.

In Occurrence and Fate of the Herbicide Glyphosate in Tile Drainage and Receiving Rivers in East Central Illinois, researchers developed an analytical method to monitor the occurrence of the herbicide glyphosate and its metabolite, aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA), in tile drain water and receiving river water collected in east central Illinois agricultural lands. The developed method was then used to monitor glyphosate and AMPA in tile drainage and their receiving watersheds (e.g., the Spoon River and Salt Fork).  Additional data collected during this study are available in Woodword, et al (2019). “Fate and transport of nitrapyrin in agroecosystems: Occurrence in agricultural soils, subsurface drains, and receiving streams in the Midwestern US.” Science of The Total Environment 650(2), 2830-2841. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.09.387.

Illinois Sustainability Awards in the news

CLC wins state sustainability award, listing on two prestigious media outlets (Lake County News-Sun)

In recognition of its efforts to promote environmental sustainability, the College of Lake County recently has made the list of top two-year colleges in Sierra magazine and the Princeton Review. Additionally, CLC received Oct. 23 the Illinois Sustainability Award from the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center, a division of the Prairie Research Institute at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Smart Energy Design Assistance Center honored with Illinois Sustainability Award (University of Illinois News Bureau)

The Smart Energy Design Assistance Center at Illinois was among the 27 winners of the Illinois Sustainability Award. Since 2004, SEDAC has been reducing the energy footprint of the state of Illinois through design assistance, outreach, research and education. Housed in the College of Fine and Applied Arts, SEDAC is a public-private partnership with 360 Energy Group.

CU Mass Transit District wins award for sustainable practices (Daily Illini)

The Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District was awarded the Sustainability Award for environmentally sustainable practices for the second time in five years.

Village receives 2018 Illinois Sustainability Award (Village of Hoffman Estates)

The Village of Hoffman Estates was honored for its sustainability efforts on Oct. 23, along with twenty-six other Illinois companies and organizations. The state-wide Illinois Sustainability Awards were presented by the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC), a division of the Prairie Research Institute at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The winners were announced during a ceremony at the Union League Club in Chicago. The Village previously received the award in 2011 and received an honorable mention in 2014.

Nicor Gas Emerging Technology Program Receives Sustainability Award (Nicor Gas)

Nicor Gas’ Emerging Technology Program (ETP) is the recipient of the 2018 Illinois Sustainability Award for its efforts to implement innovative and sustainable technologies and its demonstrated commitment to sustaining environmental, social and economic health. The ETP, a part of energySMART, Nicor Gas’ energy efficiency program, assesses promising new technologies that have the potential to generate natural gas savings. It is the only gas ETP program of its kind in Illinois and the largest in the Midwest.

IFB honored for NLRS activities (FarmWeek)

Hundreds of field days, workshops and webinars educating tens of thousands of individuals about sustainability resulted in the recognition of Illinois Farm Bureau as a winner of the 2018 Sustainability Award. The award, given by the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center, honors IFB’s ongoing efforts to create awareness of, improve and implement environmental sustainability practices across the state.

Meet ISTC’s new researchers

Over the past several months, we have added several new researchers to our staff.

Zuleima (Zul) Chagui is a Business Development Specialist with the Technical Assistance Program. Prior to joining ISTC,  she was a graduate research assistant at the Coleman Entrepreneurship Center in Chicago, where she focused on social entrepreneurship. She develops and maintains relationships with businesses and communities in order to evaluate their sustainability needs and generate projects to address these needs.

Martina del Cerro is an Applications/Process Engineer in the Applied Research group. She comes to us from the University of Illinois Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. She is working on a U.S. DOE project to recover waste heat and water in coal-fired power plants.

Jaemin Kim is a Research Scientist – Materials Scientist in the Applied Research group. Prior to joining ISTC, he was a Postdoctoral Research Associate in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Illinois. His research broadly encompasses catalytic materials, with a particular focus on sustainable energy technologies. Since joining ISTC, he has broadened his research and is primarily focused on the electrochemical degradation of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances associated with environmental pollution.

Jennifer Martin is an Environmental Program Development Specialist in the Sponsored Research, Public Engagement, and Communications group. Before joining ISTC, Jennifer was a senior program coordinator for the Illinois Green Economy Network (IGEN). At ISTC, she identifies and tracks emerging issues and research needs related to water, public health, and the environment.  Currently, she is assisting with the new Solar Panel Recycling Initiative. Read more about Jennifer in her recent staff profile.

Linduo Zhao is a Research Scientist – Biogeochemist in the Applied Research group. Prior to joining ISTC, she was a post-doctoral research associated at Oak Ridge National Lab. Her previous research included iron redox processes in clay minerals, biogeochemical transformation of mercury in environmental media, and bioremediation/biodegradation of heavy metal/organic contaminants. Her current research focuses on recovery of rare earth elements and biogeochemical transformations and microbial community functions at critical interface.

 

 

Upcoming ISTC Sustainability Seminar: In-situ Investigation of Subsurface Porous Media Processes: Microfluidics and Chemical Imaging

The final ISTC seminar of the fall semester,  In-situ Investigation of Subsurface Porous Media Processes: Microfluidics and Chemical Imaging, is scheduled for November 8 from noon-1 pm.

Rajveer Singh, Research Associate at the University of Illinois’ Beckman Institute, will discuss the design of a 2D- microfluidic experimental flow bed, based on real geo-materials as opposed to engineered materials in traditional micromodels. He will explain how he’s using chemical imaging (Raman and Infrared spectroscopy) methods for in-situ characterization of biogeochemical reactions in the flow cells, as well as alternate analytical techniques in environmental engineering.

The seminar will be held in the conference room at ISTC (1 Hazelwood Dr, Champaign). Metered parking ($1/hr) is available in the lot. We also have bike parking and are near the MTD Yellow route bus stop at Hazelwood and Oak.

If you are unable to attend in person, you can register for the webinar broadcast at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/1517546341449737986.

Archived videos and links to slide presentations are available on the ISTC web site. Previous seminars from this semester include:

  • Oxidative Properties of Ambient Particulate Matter – An assessment of the relative contributions from various aerosol components and their emission sources — Presented by Vishal Verma,  Assistant Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
  • Enhanced Sorption as a Means to Sequester PFAS — Presented by Matt Simcik – Associate Professor, Division of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Minnesota
  • Becoming a More Sustainable Craft Brewer – Nice to do or business imperative? — Presented by John Stier – Sustainability Mentor, Brewers Association
  • Looking Ahead at Solar Panel Recycling in Illinois — Presented by Nancy Holm, Assistant Director, and Jennifer Martin, Environmental Program Development Specialist, both from the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center