phd defense - biotechnology: mohammad babazadeh

mohammed babazadeh will present his doctoral research on thursday, dec. 18 at 9:30 a.m. in atac 1007 and on zoom.

dissertation title: total oxidation of naphthenic acids by catalytic ozonation

description:
this study investigated the complete degradation of the model naphthenic acid, 4-methyl-1-cyclohexane carboxylic acid, which is representative of naphthenic acids found in oil sands process-affected water (ospw), through heterogeneous catalytic ozonation. among the catalysts evaluated, cu/mgo demonstrated the highest and most consistent total organic carbon removal across multiple reuse cycles. to further enhance performance, novel copper–magnesium phosphate cu x p y mg (where x and y are the molar ratios of cu and p over mg, respectively) catalysts were synthesized, with the cu 0.01 p 0.1 mg formulation achieving the highest mineralization rates and exhibiting minimal metal leaching. analysis of reactive species confirmed that hydroxyl radicals were the primary oxidants. overall, the findings indicate that both cu/mgo and cu x p y mg catalysts are highly effective for the heterogeneous catalytic ozonation of recalcitrant naphthenic acid–type compounds from ospw, facilitating their complete conversion into harmless end products.

committee members:
drs. ebrahim rezaei and baoqiang liao (co-supervisors)
dr. amir azimi
dr. kang kang
dr. ramin azargohar (external examiner)

everyone is welcome.

please contact brenda magajna at phd.ses@lakeheadu.ca for more information.