Dados do Trabalho

Título

SOLAR-BASED TECHNOLOGIES REMOVING POTENTIALLY TOXIC METALS FROM WATER SOURCES USED IN THE FOOD PRODUCTION CHAIN

Introdução

Technological advances have led to a proportional increase in the deposition of contaminants across various environmental compartments, including water sources used for drinking or food production purposes. Heavy metals, also known as potentially toxic metals, are of particular concern due to their significant harmful impacts on environmental and human health. The development of effective and sustainable technologies to remove these contaminants from water is highly necessary. Technologies based on solar radiation, which are applicable to removing or reducing the toxicity of heavy metals, stand out for being clean, low-cost, and effective. The current state of the art in applying these methods to remove heavy metals such as arsenic (As), chromium (Cr), mercury (Hg), and uranium (U) still needs to be synthesized.

Material e Métodos

The performance, potential, and challenges of real-world applications of conventional solar still (CS), membrane-based solar still, and solar heterogeneous photocatalysis were concisely summarized and critically reviewed.

Resultados e Discussão

CS and membrane-based stillers are highly effective (efficacy >98%) in removing and capturing heavy metals from water. However, structural and functional improvements are needed to enhance productivity (especially for conventional solar still) and usability in real-world environmental remediation and drinking water supply scenarios. Solar heterogeneous photocatalysis is highly effective in removing and/or converting As (41-100%), Cr (23-100%), Hg (82-100%), and U (43-100%) into their non-toxic or less toxic forms, which subsequent processes can easily remove.

Conclusão

Further research is necessary to evaluate the safety of photocatalytic materials, their integration into scalable solar reactors, and their usability in real-world environmental remediation applications.