Technology roadmap: Nanomateriais aplicados ao tratamento terciário de águas residuais industriais contaminadas por corantes orgânicos sintéticos.

Abstract

Industrial wastewater contaminated by synthetic organic dyes is a major environmental threat that requires treatment for its adequacy and, consequently, minimization of pollution of terrestrial water resources during its reintroduction into receiving water bodies. In recent decades, advances in nanotechnology have contributed in this way, allowing the application of engineered nanomaterials (NMs) in different treatment techniques. Due to their unique properties, NMs guarantee the efficient recovery and elimination of the considered contaminants, reaching the desirable standards of effluent quality for disposal and also contributing to the incentive to reuse water in the process, which represents cost savings and less dependence on water resources. Thus, the objective of this work encompasses the verification of trends related to the application of NMs to the tertiary treatment of industrial wastewater contaminated by synthetic organic dyes. The work was carried out using the Technology Roadmapping (TRM) method, designated as a strategic approach to the management and planning of short, medium and long term innovation, which aims to understand the technological evolution of a product or process. A specific search and analysis strategy for NMs applied to the treatment of water contaminated by dyes was carried out between September and October 2021 in relevant databases, namely: WIPO PatentScope, PatentInspiration, INPI and Scopus. Among the total of 1851 documents surveyed, only those considered relevant to the study were analyzed, with 215 scientific articles, 27 granted patents and 52 requested patents. The information obtained was arranged in the format of an indicative map of technology and organizations operating over time, called a technology roadmap. Through this map, it was possible to identify the main actors that implement catalytic NM production technology at the present time, such as: KRONOS Worlwide, QuantumSphere, Hyperion Catalysis International, Mach I, TitanPE Technologies, DK Nano Technology, Ishihara Sangyo Kaisha, Sakai Chemical and CRYSTAL. Regarding technical-scientific production, especially articles and patents, there are the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Amity University and King Abdulaziz University. In the short, medium and long term, there is a tendency to search for the diversification of raw materials, with studies focused on the use of mineral, synthetic, biological and residual inputs. In addition, there is also a propensity to search for hybrid and multifunctional NMs, to overcome the difficulties existing in their independent forms, impressively meeting market expectations. Brazil appears in the short, medium and long term of the map, with two patents granted, nine requested and five scientific articles. With the help of TRM, it was possible to map the current state and predict trends in the production of NMs applicable to the treatment of industrial wastewater contaminated by synthetic organic dyes, in a simple and visually convenient way, providing important data on the opportunities and challenges in this area.