"The scarcity of clean and healthy water sources and increasing pollutions of urbanization and industrialization is a serious global concern in the last few decades. This issue needs to cooperate all societies to supply the lack of drinking water and protect the environment. My research includes treatment of hazardous pollutants (with confusing on pharmaceutical pollutants) from wastewater based on advanced column flotation technology and using surfactants and bio-surfactants to achieve a biodegradable, simple, practical, and environmental-friendly method. Besides, I investigate the effect of two categories of commercial and bio-surfactants (as a surface-active agent and one of the most critical challenges in foam flotation systems), operating conditions, and structural parameters on performance efficiency of flotation system to achieve a sustainable and efficient treatment technology."

Biographical sketch

I have recently started my research at the institute of chemistry after being awarded the IPODI Fellowship. Herewith, I explain a brief of my career background as the following:

Since 2019; Technische Universität Berlin (TUB), Germany

Since 2018;  Islamic Azad University (IAU), Iran

2017–2019; Islamic Azad University (IAU), Iran

2016-2018;  Islamic Azad University (IAU), Iran

2017; Technische Universität Berlin (TU), Germany

2016; Technische Universität Berlin (TU), Germany

2010-2016; Lecturer, Iran

2018; Ph.D. of Chemical Engineering; Iran

Honors and Awards:

2019: Distinguished academic staff, Islamic Azad University, Sanandaj, Iran

2017: Distinguished Ph.D. student, awarded by Iran's National Elites Foundation, Iran

2016: Distinguished Ph.D. student for a sabbatical course, awarded by Ministry of Science, Research, and Technology, Iran

2013: Distinguished Ph.D. students of engineering faculty for research achievements, Razi University, Iran

2013: First rank student in the Ph.D. entrance exam, Razi University, Iran

2013: Member of the brightest talents council, Razi University, Iran

2011: Distinguished M.Sc. student of chemical engineering awarded by Iranian Association of Chemical Engineering (IAChE)s, Iran

Research interests

• Utilizing green and advanced technologies for water treatment
• Surfactants and biosurfactants, micelles, and biomaterials
• Adsorption, membrane technology
• Chemical reaction engineering
• Separation processes
• Optimization of processes
• Kinetic modeling

Contact

Email: tahereh.shojaeimehr at tu-berlin.de
Phone: +49(0)30 314 24097

Treatment of Pharmaceutical wastewater via Advanced Column Flotation Technology: A Feasible Choice from Laboratory Experiment to Industrial Process

Duration: 2 August 2019 – 31 July 2021

Mentor: Prof. Dr. Reinhard Schomäcker, Faculty II, Department of Chemistry, Chemical Reaction Engineering

Abstract: Due to the scarcity of freshwater sources, insufficient removal of contaminants with conventional methods, and their discharge to the environment, treatment of polluted water have been identified as a serious challenge for governments. According to considerations about the importance of health quality of human, pharmaceutical manufacturing and personal care products industries have been rapidly developed and produce vital products. Most pharmaceutical effluent comes from health centers and pharmaceutical industries as a toxic, highly concentrated, widespread detection, high stability, and non-biodegradable substances. Likewise, surfactants are widely used in pharmaceutical and care products and detected. In 2014, the world market for surfactants reached a volume of more than US$ 33 billion that showed the high demand for surfactant production and their applications. Due to the increase in production and usage of surfactants, large extents of surfactants are present in wastewaters and enter the environment. Insufficient treatment methods cause discharge contaminants into the aquatic environment especially in European countries like Germany. To solve this problem, various treatment technologies have been explored. In spite of the capabilities of the flotation technique, little efforts have been devoted to flotation applications to treat pharmaceutical wastewater. Meanwhile, using surface-active molecules for facilitating pollutant separation is essential to improve flotation process efficiency.
Since environmental hazards of chemical surfactants confine their utilization, bio-surfactants could be substituted for them for acceptance of flotation technology.
There are still many open questions in both fundamental research and practical applications of foams column flotation in the field of pharmaceutical contaminant the treatment that need to research. All these open questions have motivated foam column flotation investigations using bio-surfactants for treatment of pharmaceutical pollutants. Specifically, the objective of this work is to employ the foam column technology using surfactants and enhance its removal performance as a green and practical method for treatment of pharmaceutical effluent.