03/28/2024
By Kwok Fan Chow

The Kennedy College of Science, Department of Chemistry, invites you to attend a Ph.D. Dissertation defense by Maduka Praveen Alahendra entitled “Investigation of the Electrochemical Properties of Perfluorooctanoic Acid and Europium(III) and Their Treatment Methods.”

Degree: Doctoral
Date: Tuesday, April 9, 2024
Time: 1 p.m.
Location: Olney, Room 518

Committee

  • Chair Prof. Kwok-Fan Chow, Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts Lowell
  • Prof. Weile Yan, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Massachusetts Lowell
  • Prof. Erin Bertelsen, Department of Physics and Applied Physics, University of Massachusetts Lowell
  • Prof. Pengyuan Liu, Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts Lowell

Abstract:
This dissertation explores perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and Eu(III) electrochemical properties and their treatment methods. PFOA is one of the most commonly used per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs). Current techniques for degrading PFASs often require high energy consumption or custom-made electrode materials. In the first part of this study, we investigated the electrochemical properties of PFOA and developed a cost-effective PFAS degradation method. We found that PFOA's degradation rate depends on the solvents' acidity and electrode materials. Our study suggests that PFOA can be degraded by using an acidic aprotic solvent at room temperature. The importance of this study is that this method does not require high temperature or specially made electrode materials. In the second part of this study, we investigated the electrochemical behavior of Eu(III) in room-temperature ionic liquids (RTILs). We also explored the potential of using RTILs to extract and separate Eu(III). Eu(III) is a common lanthanide present in nuclear waste sources. We found that the electrochemical reduction of Eu(III) in both N-methyl-N-propyl piperidinium bis(trifluoromethyl sulfonyl)imide (MPPiTf2N) and 1-allyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethyl sulfonyl)imide (AMIMTf2N) follows a single electron quasi-reversible process. More importantly, Eu(III) has higher apparent diffusion coefficients in these two RTILs than other RTILs reported in the literature. This study suggests that MPPiTf2N and AMIMTf2N can be used for Eu recovery processes.

All interested students and faculty members are invited to attend.