Project description
Next-gen 3D-printed photo-thermo-catalytic membranes for water purification
Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the MERLIN project addresses the urgent challenge of emerging water contaminants (CECs), particularly antibiotics and their resistant derivatives, including antibiotic-resistant bacteria and antibiotic-resistance genes. The project aims to design novel photoactive semiconductors with tailored morphologies, tuning their electronic band structures to expand the light-harvesting ability and induce a plasmonic response. This autarchic-generated heat accelerates CECs' mineralisation beyond conventional photocatalysis. The advanced photo-thermo-catalytic nanomaterials will be immobilised into 3D-printed polymeric micro-structured membranes enabling their recovery and reuse. Aligned with circular economy principles, these innovative 3D-printed nanocomposite membranes will undergo rigorous ecotoxicity assessments, ensuring a sustainable and scalable water treatment solution.
Objective
Water contaminants of emerging concern (CEC) are pressing issues due to their high persistence and deep impact on ecosystems. Amongst them, antibiotics contribute indelibly to the proliferation of 2nd generation CECs, such as antibiotic-resistant bacteria and -resistance genes. MERLIN project pursues developing an integral and green solution for the abatement of CECs water pollution by applying forefront photo-thermo-catalytic membranes. Thus, photocatalysis arises as one of the greener and more promising technologies for CECs mineralization. However, its success is conditional on the use of semiconductors (SCs) with ad-hoc properties to work under solar irradiation. MERLIN will finely tune the band-edge potentials of novel photoactive SCs, in order to expand their solar light harvesting capacity and efficiency. In addition, the cooperative effects of dual photo- and -thermal catalysts will be explored by engineering local thermal energy hot-spots into SCs photocatalyst. For instance, the thermal-assisted photodegradation of CECs is foreseen to overcome the performance of classic photocatalytic systems.
So, MERLIN aims by engineering the band gap of nanostructured SnO2 and CuO SCs to confer them a plasmonic response, making them autarchic photo- thermo- catalyst materials (PPTM) able to drive an accelerated CECs mineralization. In addition, MERLIN proposes developing forefront photo-thermo-catalytic nanocomposite membranes through the immobilization of PPTM into 3D-polymeric micro-structured membranes via 3D printing techniques. These composites pursue to immobilize CECs into the polymeric scaffold while PPTM nanotechnology faces their degradation (and of their sub-products) until their complete mineralization. Finally, MERLIN will run under the circular economy concept, where the green membranes will be developed for their recovery and reusability, considering the full assessment of their ecotoxicity.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences chemical sciences catalysis photocatalysis
- engineering and technology materials engineering composites
- engineering and technology nanotechnology
- medical and health sciences basic medicine pharmacology and pharmacy pharmaceutical drugs antibiotics
- natural sciences physical sciences electromagnetism and electronics semiconductivity
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2022-PF-01
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
48940 Leioa
Spain
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.