GUEST LECTURES
Prof. Woojin Lee
Head, Green Energy and Environmental
Laboratory, National Laboratory Astana
Full Professor, Department of Civil and
Environmental Engineering, Nazarbayev
University
Remediation of groundwater contaminants
by bimetallic nanoparticle catalysts
Abstract
Recently, remediation of groundwater contaminants by catalysts has emerged as a feasible
solution due to its high reactivity and selectivity. Extensive research has been carried out to
improve the reactivity and selectivity of bimetallic catalysts. Attractive experimental results
have been reported for the smart synthesis of the catalysts and optimization of relevant
operation conditions for better catalyst applications. However, there still are uncertainties for
the selection of their support materials. The support materials developed to date are mostly
refined and synthetic ones, while natural materials have not been thoroughly investigated,
despite their huge potential reactivity, economical value, and abundance. In this research, the
use of natural soil minerals as support materials of Sn-Pd-bimetallic catalysts has been reported
for the reactive and selective reduction of nitrate. The synthesized bimetallic catalysts
supported by soil mineral showed higher and faster nitrate removal than any other catalysts
reported before. It also showed higher N 2 selectivity. The results suggest that natural soil
minerals can be used for an efficient support material of bimetallic catalysts for the application
to the remediation of groundwater contaminated with diverse chemical contaminants.