Dr. Wenqing Xu
Villanova University, USA
Abstract: Pyrogenic carbonaceous matter (PCM) includes environmental black carbon (fossil fuel soot, biomass char), engineered carbons (biochar, activated carbon), and related materials like graphene and nanotubes. Although previous research has regarded PCM merely as passive sorbents, recent studies show that PCM can promote chemical and biological reactions and thus facilitate contaminant transformation at room temperatures via long-range electron conduction between molecules and between microbes and molecules, local redox reactions between molecules, and hydrolysis. However, PCM properties that confer its reactivity remain unclear. This talk covers recent research efforts in Dr. Xu’s group in using PCM-like polymers (PLP) to identify the key properties of PCM in accelerating pollutant transformation, such as surface functional groups and pore characteristics. The research lays the groundwork for developing adsorbents that are highly reactive, which can be employed for decontaminating soil and sediment as well as mitigating adverse disinfection byproducts formation in drinking water.
Host：Prof. Cheng Gu
Executive Editor
Nanjing University
Time：09:00pm Sept 22, 2022 (Beijing time)
Zoom ID: 816 9975 7155
Bilibili: 25002335
