Scientists from the Centre for Energy and Environmental Technologies (CEET) and IT4Innovations at VSB–Technical University of Ostrava, in collaboration with colleagues from CATRIN at Palacký University Olomouc, have introduced a groundbreaking technology that connects water purification and energy storage in the spirit of the circular economy. Using functionalized graphene, they managed to effectively remove pharmaceutical pollutants from water and subsequently—without any further modification—convert the used sorbents into electrodes for so-called supercapacitors. These electrodes outperformed the original materials by up to 100 percent and show great promise for use in modern energy storage technologies. The results of their work were published in the prestigious Journal of Colloid and Interface Science.
The researchers from VSB-TUO focused on two major challenges posed on today’s society: access to clean water—with nearly 80 percent of the world’s population at high risk of water scarcity—and the development of sustainable energy storage technologies. Lithium-ion batteries, currently the most widely used energy storage source, have numerous limitations, such as limited lifespan, relatively long charging times, and the risk of overheating or catching fire if damaged.
“It is essential to seek simple and low-cost solutions for water purification. We are able to prepare and chemically modify graphene materials on an industrial scale and use them as effective sorbents for removing a variety of pharmaceutical pollutants from contaminated water. We demonstrated exceptional efficiency in removing conventional drugs such as ibuprofen, diclofenac, and paracetamol. Moreover, the used 2D sorbents proved highly effective in the development of a new generation of so-called supercapacitors. These offer significant advantages over Li-ion batteries, including very fast charging and discharging, long lifespan, and resistance to extreme temperatures. Thanks to these properties, they are particularly suitable for applications requiring rapid energy delivery or absorption,” said Aristeidis Bakandritsos, who is affiliated with both CEET and CATRIN.
The significant improvement in performance and cyclic stability is the result of strong adsorption of pollutants, which enhances redox activity and improves charge transport. These properties were confirmed through theoretical calculations carried out by the team of Professor Pavel Hobza at IT4Innovations.
“Combining water purification and energy storage into a single closed cycle is a truly unique approach that can significantly contribute to solving two pressing global issues—the shortage of clean water and the need for sustainable energy sources,” emphasized Radek Zbořil, head of the Materials–Environmental Laboratory at CEET.
