Designing integrated photocatalytic systems for simultaneous clean energy generation and water remediation

Faculty: Engineering
This project addresses the core issues of energy and water, two highly critical resources in Australia as well as worldwide.

Utilising our geographically abundant solar energy and through designing novel photoelectrochemical and photocatalytic systems, the research provides an ultimately clean solution by efficiently harnessing and converting the solar energy to hydrogen while remediating wastewater.

In this project, we aim at producing clean hydrogen fuel from wastewater using sunlight-driven semiconducting materials. Simultaneously, the chemistry that occurs at the irradiated semiconductor will lead to the decomposition of organic substances which exist in the waste stream. The semiconductors are tailor-made with in-house technique. Given the high intensity and consistent solar output in Australia, such technology provides an almost ideal and sustainable outcome in terms of clean energy and water supply. Success in this area will place Australian researchers at the forefront of practical and functional photocatalytic technologies.

Project collaborators: External

Dr Wey Yang Teoh
School of Energy and Environment, City University of Hong Kong

Key contact

+61 2 93854361
r.amal@unsw.edu.au