An innovative material could reduce the presence of emerging contaminants in water by more than 70%, using solar energy as its driver. This breakthrough, led by academic Ángel Leiva from the Solar Energy Research Center (SERC Chile), opens the possibility of applying nanotechnology in treatment plants and productive sectors to address the environmental problem of water pollution.

The presence of emerging contaminants in natural and wastewater has become one of the primary environmental and health challenges of the 21st century. These compounds, which range from antibiotics and pharmaceuticals to pesticides, industrial additives, and personal care products, accumulate silently in rivers, lakes, and water supply systems. Their effects are already being observed in aquatic ecosystems and human health, contributing to the increase in antimicrobial resistance.

In this context, a team of researchers from the Solar Energy Research Center – SERC Chile developed a nanometric material capable of reducing contaminants present in water by more than 70%. The project, led by academic Ángel Leiva, combines titanium dioxide (TiO₂) nanoparticles, which trigger chemical reactions when they receive sunlight, with polymeric nanofibers that serve as a support.

Titanium dioxide is a common material in paints, plastics, and sunscreens, but at a nanometric scale, it acts as a photocatalyst. This means that by absorbing solar energy, it can decompose complex molecules such as antibiotics, pesticides, or dyes, transforming them into simple and harmless compounds, such as water or carbon dioxide. In other words, it turns light into an environmental cleaning tool.

How does it work?

According to Leiva, who is also a UC academic, the material is manufactured through electrospinning, a technique that generates very thin fibers. “It basically consists of generating a dissolution jet of both components in a suitable solvent through injection with a needle syringe. The system is subjected to a very high voltage, causing the solvent to evaporate, and finally, the nanofibers with nanoparticles are received on a collector, forming a woven material with extremely fine fibers,” he explained.

Simply put, this process allows for the creation of tiny fibers that offer much more surface area to trap contaminants and decompose them more quickly, something that conventional technologies do not achieve.

The resulting filter harnesses light to degrade harmful compounds. “When the material is placed in contact with a solution of an organic contaminant such as Rhodamine B, a type of synthetic dye, and is irradiated with light, the oxidation reaction of the contaminant is promoted, resulting in its light-mediated degradation,” noted the SERC Chile researcher.

The key lies in the nanometric size. “Being a nanometric system, the surface area per unit of mass is very high. This favors the contact of the contaminant with the surface of the material, resulting in high adsorption and then high performance in the degradation of the contaminant through light irradiation,” Leiva points out.

The most promising aspect is that it can be applied to many invisible contaminants that currently concern the scientific community. “In principle, it is applicable to organic molecules susceptible to being degraded by oxidation. Because of this, a wide variety of molecules can be degraded, including emerging contaminants such as dyes, pharmaceutical compounds—medicines, antibiotics, drugs—pesticides, personal care products, industrial additives, and others,” Leiva detailed.

The researcher further emphasizes that this development will not remain in the laboratory. “The process for obtaining electrospun materials is easily scalable; therefore, its potential for application in treatment plants, industries, and productive sectors is technologically feasible,” he indicated. He added: “We know it is possible to devise high-impact solutions for one of the most silent and difficult environmental problems to address: emerging contaminants.”