Browsing by Author "Prof. Dr. Aqeel Ahmed Bazmi"

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Transforming Waste PET Bottles into High-Value MOF Adsorbents for the Removal of Emerging Pollutants from Wastewater
(Library Information Services, COMSATS University Islamabad, Lahore Campus, 2025) Beenish Shazadi; CUI/FA23-RNE-002/LHR; Prof. Dr. Aqeel Ahmed Bazmi; LHR TP 9673
Aggressive urbanization and globalization have led to severe environmental consequences in the past few decades. Among the major environmental challenges, water scarcity and plastic pollution are one of the most concerning. Waste polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles, a durable and non-biodegradable plastic, takes centuries to degrade and has damaging consequences for aquatic and human life. On the other hand, several emerging contaminants in wastewater have called for new research to control their spread and reduce environmental impact. Pharmaceuticals are one of the emerging contaminants from the industrials and hospitals that are classified as a concerning and emerging contaminant in wastewater. This Master’s thesis addresses this dual challenge of waste PET bottle and pharmaceutical pollution in wastewater by upcycling waste PET bottles into a metal organic framework, an emerging adsorbent for wastewater treatment. Disodium terephthalate (DST), which is made by alkaline hydrolysis of PET, is used as the organic ligand in this study to convert PET waste into useful aluminum-based metal-organic frameworks (Al-MOFs) in a sustainable and economical manner. The synthesis complies with green chemistry and the circular economy by avoiding hazardous solvents and energy-intensive processes. Several characterization techniques were used to thoroughly characterize the resultant Al-DST MOFs. The successful creation of distinct, thermally stable, porous Al-DST structures with large surface areas that are suitable for adsorption was confirmed by characterization. Batch experiments were conducted to evaluate the adsorption efficiency of the as-synthesized Al-DST MOFs against Tetracycline (TC), a common antibiotic and a typical developing contaminant. The adsorption efficiency was evaluated by varying several parameters, including pH, contact time, starting concentration, and temperature. The Al-DST MOFs demonstrated excellent reusability over multiple cycles, rapid adsorption kinetics, and a high TC adsorption capacity. The Langmuir isotherm and pseudo-second-order kinetic models provided the best description of the adsorption data, demonstrating chemisorption-mediated uptake and monolayer adsorption onto a homogenous surface. This work demonstrates the potential of Al- DST MOFs extracted from waste PET bottles as efficient adsorbents in eliminating pharmaceutical contaminants from wastewater in addition to providing a sustainable and easily accessible route for PET upcycling. The plan offers a promising future for addressing the problems of plastic pollution and water contamination while also supporting the development of renewable materials
Waste-to-Resources: The Upcycling of Polystyrene by Cold Plasma Pyrolysis
(Library Information Services COMSATS University Lahore Campus, 2023-03-13) Sarah Mushtaq; SP22-RNE-003; Prof. Dr. Aqeel Ahmed Bazmi; LHR TP 8637
Polystyrene is a broadly employed plastic because of its resistance to degradation, thereby posing a significant environmental threat by its accumulation in landfills, oceans and other natural habitats. Cold Plasma Pyrolysis is an emerging technology which has shown encouraging results in the upcycling of Polystyrene into valuable resources. This dissertation investigates the potential of cold plasma pyrolysis for the upcycling of Polystyrene into valuable products, thereby giving it a second life. Initially, a broad literary outlook has been presented, upon the possibilities of plastic, more importantly, Polystyrene recycling. The important ways of recycling, such as chemical reclamation techniques, such as pyrolysis has been discussed at length. The factors known to influence pyrolysis, such as temperature, nature and design of the reactor, inclusion of a catalyst, have been elucidated. Experimental research on the possibilities of producing valuable chemicals from polystyrene oil by the cold plasma application has been emphasized. The styrene monomer was distilled from the polystyrene oil in order to be used as feedstock for the production of respected chemicals, such as benzaldehyde. Dielectric Barrier Discharge Plasma Ozonolysis was used for the ozonation of styrene oil into benzaldehyde, a simple aromatic aldehyde. In conclusion, the thesis demonstrates that Cold Plasma Pyrolysis is a promising technology for the upcycling of polystyrene waste into valuable resources. The technology has the potential to reduce the environmental impact of polystyrene waste and contribute to a more sustainable circular economy