Development of a Low-Cost Sustainable Water Filter: A Study of the Removal of Water Pollutants As (V) and Pb (II)

This project uses magnetite nanoparticles to develop a versatile water treatment system for removing heavy metals and microbes from water. The study focuses on optimizing the adsorption of Pb (II) and As (V) onto water-soluble and surfactant-free magnetite nanoparticles and the development of a sustainable water treatment system. Adsorption of As (V) and Pb (II) was performed on a range of total surface areas of two different sizes of surfactant-free magnetite. A method to synthesize magnetite nanoparticles using commonly-found household items, such as cooking oil, drain cleaner, and vinegar, was developed. The home-synthesized particles were used to develop prototypes of a filter that removes heavy metals. A modified Stober method was used to coat the particles with a silica-silver coating for microbe removal. The synthesized surfactant-free magnetite nanoparticles can remove As (V) and Pb (II) of 100 ppb to meet U.S. EPA standards. Pb (II) adsorption increases as magnetite particle sizes increase from 11 to 30nm. This project presented novel evidence for the effect of surface structure and curvature on heavy metal adsorption. The kitchen synthesis is a successful method of synthesizing magnetite nanoparticles, thus reducing costs, and improving sustainability. The silica-silver coating for microbe removal did not consistently produce single-particle cores, so the alternative method of using a slow-sand filter for microbe removal was considered