US-Egypt Cooperative Research: Metal-Organic Frameworks for Nanocatalysis and Removal of Mercury-Containing Compounds from Wastewater and Gas Condensates

Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond VA

Investigators

Abstract

1002970 El-Shall This project supports collaborative research by Dr. M. Samy El-Shall, Department of Chemistry at Virginia Commonwealth University, Tallahassee and Dr. Samy Faramawy, the Egyptian Petroleum Research Institute (EPRI) in Cairo, Egypt. They plan to study ?Metal-Organic Frameworks for Nanocatalysis and Removal of Mercury-Containing Compounds from Wastewater and Gas Condensates?. Intellectual Merit: The proposed research is based on the potential promise by metal organic frameworks (MOFs) to provide answers to some challenging problems. MOFs, hybrid organic-inorganic materials, are new emerging class of porous solid state materials where desired functionality can be included either prior to the assembly or after post synthetically. The PIs plan to explore the unique properties of MOFs for mercury removal from natural gas and waste water. The proposed compounds cover a variety of MOFs ranging from neutral to ionic. The study will permit better understanding of the MOF structure and the mercury sorption properties. There is a basic component to the research regarding the development of appropriate materials for the stated applications, including identifying suitable catalytically active nanoparticles that will enhance the effectiveness of the MOF and ZMOF planned for main use. The project will involve the synthesis of these materials using newly developed microwave irradiation techniques, along with their characterization and performance studies. By tailoring the properties of MOF's and ZMOF's, the scientists expect to achieve a better understanding of the factors that enhance mercury removal performance of these materials. The PIs plan to mentor the young scientists on their respective international teams. The team is well equipped to explore the sorption properties of the organic and inorganic mercury species in the selected MOFs. Broader impacts: The primary broader impact is the prospect of improving environmental quality in both countries, but education and training of students are also important results. The project will contribute to further interactions between scientists in Egypt and the US. The success of the project will advance the field of MOFs and solid state materials in general. The results from this project will give insight regarding potential use of MOFs for mercury removal. The scientists from both countries will gain interdisciplinary research training that is marketable in both countries. This project is being supported under the US-Egypt Joint Fund Program.