Olive Stones Doped With Silver-Phenolated Lignin Nanoparticles As An Alternative Filler Material For Water Treatment Systems
Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya – UPC, a project partner of the SYMSITES project, showcased its innovative research results at the ACS Spring 2025 Conference in San Diego, USA.
The research, presented in the session “Applications & Implications of Nanomaterials in the Environment”, tackles a critical challenge in wastewater treatment, i.e., ensuring effective disinfection during the tertiary treatment stage without generating harmful by-products.
To enhance the capabilities of wastewater treatment plants while embracing a circular economy approach, the study explored an innovative solution by integrating antibacterial and biofilm-preventing properties into filtration units. The proposed system leverages olive stone biomass in two key forms:
- Pyrolyzed biomass – acting as an adsorbent for persistent contaminants.
- Raw biomass matrix – sonochemically grafted with antimicrobial silver-phenolated lignin nanoparticles.
The nano-enabled olive stone material demonstrated strong antibacterial and biofilm preventing properties against Escherichia coli (E. coli), a key bioindicator of water contamination and a critical criterion in water treatment. The nanocomposite achieved complete bacterial elimination upon 24 hours of contact and reduced biofilm formation by 46% compared to untreated olive stones. Additionally, filtration units combining a 1:1 mass ratio of the nano-enabled olive stones and activated biochar (derived from pyrolized olive stones) effectively disinfected water contaminated with E. coli within just 30 minutes of recirculation. The filtration unit also proved its durability, maintaining full disinfection efficiency over seven reuse cycles.
This breakthrough technology offers a sustainable and effective solution for wastewater treatment, aligning with the SYMSITES project’s commitment to circular economy principles, safe reclaimed water, and environmental protection.
