Acid mine drainage valorization

The problem

Acid mine drainage is treated as a hazard to be neutralised rather than a resource. Toxic mining wastewater is a problem — but it is also a source of iron.

The approach

Develop nanomaterials and catalysts for acid mine drainage valorization using green synthesis methods, with material characterization, liquid- and gas-phase reactor testing, and data-driven process optimization.

Key results

Stabilized iron nanoparticles synthesised from acid mine drainage and Rooibos tea, published as first author in ACS Omega (2022); bimetallic FeMn nanoparticles for azo-dye degradation published in the International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology (2023).