Division of Information Technology, Engineering and the Environment
School of Advanced Manufacturing and Mechanical Engineering
School of Advanced Manufacturing and Mechanical Engineering
Thesis Abstract
In recent years, novel functionalised materials have attracted considerable interest as adsorbent agents in water purification. These materials are specifically suitable for de-centralised water treatment, which is the most cost-effective treatment strategy for rural areas and regions with sparse population. Although surface modification of materials using wet chemistry routes has previously been employed for water purification, applying plasma polymerisation technology in this field appears to be a more cost-efficient and effective alternative. Use of this technology for water purification is in its very early stages and worthy of extensive research. In this novel technology, an organic monomer vapour containing specific functional groups is excited into the plasma state within a rotating plasma reactor containing substrate particles. The monomer is fragmented into active species via plasma state interactions and is deposited on all surfaces within the reaction chamber. In water, some functional groups are negatively charged, while others are charged positively. Therefore, by choosing the appropriate functional groups for polymerisation, both anionic and cationic pollutants as well as organic contaminants and hydrocarbons can be removed via electrostatic or hydrophobic attractions. This study will apply plasma polymerisation technology for the development of novel surface modified particles and powders for water purification. More specifically, by using plasma technology, it aims to deposit differently functionalised films onto multiple low-cost substrates to adsorb both negatively and positively charged contaminants such as salts, pathogens and heavy metals. In addition, hydrophobic polymeric films will be developed to remove hydrophobic matter, such as oils, fats and petrol from water.
