(560ft) Designing of a New Prototype to Detoxify Carcinogenic Cr(VI) Metal from Drinking Water

Porphyrin dye has absorption bands in visible region which resembles with solar light spectrum. So porphyrin dye functionalized nanomaterial can be very much useful in visible light photocatalysis application. Depends on the central metal of the dye, the property of the porphyrin can be modulated heavily. In our present work, we have synthesized Cu-protoporphyrin IX, by attaching Cr (II) within protoporphyrin. In the next step, a porous microsphere TiO₂ (~1.5 µm diameter) was sensitized with Cu-protoporphyrin. The porosity of the structure was confirmed by FESEM and HRTEM. The attachment of the dye with semiconductor was endorsed by Fourier transformed infrared (FTIR) and picosecond resolved fluorescence studies. Hexavalent chromium (Cr (VI)) in the water environment is identified as carcinogenic product, whereas Cr (III) is nontoxic in nature. Our newly developed nanohybrid efficiently converts the toxic metal ion Cr (VI) to non-toxic Cr (III) in aqueous medium under solar light illumination. Cu impregnation in the PP dye keeps the efficacy of the photocatalytic process intact. The interference of other dissolved metal is also nullified after Cu impregnation. We have developed a prototype for the real life application purpose. The nanohybrid has been deposited on the surface of a stainless steel mesh (size 2 cm × 2 cm, pore size 150 µm × 200 µm) which acts as an active filter. While nanohybrid acts as chemical filter, the mesh works as a physical filter to clean the water. The developed prototype exhibits outstanding physical and chemical filtering of toxic Cr (VI) ions (photoreduction to Cr (III)) and physical netting of suspended particulates present in water.