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Project title

Novel Tungsten and Vanadium-based-Materials for the Detection of Antibiotics and Removal by means of Advanced-Oxidation-Processes

Primary Funding Agency

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Co-Funding Organisation(s)

n/a

Lead Organisation

Irish Research Council (MU)

Lead Applicant

Luke Glennon

Project Abstract

Natural waterways, including rivers, lakes, and streams, are fundamental to sustaining human life. From agriculture to transport, and industry to leisure, they form a bedrock of modern civilisation. However, pollution of these vital bodies of water has seen their health deteriorate rapidly since the industrial revolution and this has serious implications for human health and well-being, as it affects drinking water, farming, and the ecology that survives off these waterways. Antibiotics are a pollutant of concern, having been specifically highlighted by the EPA. Having revolutionised modern medicine, antibiotics are now accumulating in our waterways due to pollution from manufacturing facilities, farms, and homes. They pose a severe health risk due to their toxicity, carcinogenic properties, and especially concerning, due to antimicrobial resistance (AMR). AMR is when bacteria develop resistances to the healing effects of antibiotics, rendering them ineffective to fight sickness. A higher abundance of antibiotic pollution has been shown to increase the risk of AMR arising, which would leave humanity vulnerable to many diseases once again. Thus, the ability to detect and remove antibiotics from waterways is of paramount importance. The work of my PhD is to develop new materials that can not only rapidly and accurately detect the amount of antibiotics in a sample of water but also be used to remove the antibiotic molecules and thus remove the pollution. While methods exist to determine antibiotic concentration, these methods are slow and expensive. The new environmentally friendly and relatively cheap materials I propose can be taken directly to the water source and used at the site to determine the severity of pollution in real-time. Subsequently these materials could be used to remove the pollution by breaking up the antibiotic molecules into naturally-occurring, non-polluting compounds, thus reducing the risk of AMR and facilitating a healthier environment for the future.

Grant Approved

€62,000.00

Research Hub

Delivering a Healthy Environment

Research Theme

n/a

Start Date

01/09/2024

Initial Projected Completion Date

31/08/2026