KIST develops new tech to treat wastewater for producing semiconductors

Semiconductors or electronics undergo a manufacturing process where alcohol is used to remove impurities from their surfaces. The wastewater containing alcohol is then treated with the help of reverse ozone, osmosis, and biological decomposition.

Though some methods can lessen the concentration of alcohol in wastewater, they are still not efficient in decomposing the alcohol completely in wastewater with a low alcohol concentration.

To overcome this, Seok-Jin Yoon, President of the KIST (Korea Institute of Science and Technology), disclosed that a research team headed by Dr. Gun-hee Moon and Dr. Sang Hoon Kim of Extreme Materials Research Center has developed a photocatalyst.

Apparently, this photocatalyst can decompose a trace amount of alcohol completely in water within a short time by adding very little copper to iron oxide, which is utilized as a catalyst during the AOP (advanced oxidation process).

According to sources, this research team utilized Fenton oxidation, which incorporates oxidizing agents as well as catalysts during the process of advanced oxidation for water treatment.

In other advanced AOP studies, alcohols were deployed as reagents for verifying radical production during Fenton oxidation. They were the main object for removal from the semiconductor wastewater in this research.

Notably, this new water treatment technology can significantly alleviate the water resources and cost invested in semiconductor wastewater treatment.

According to Dr. Kim, as soon as large-scale semiconductor lines are established, there would be a sturdy increase in the demand for treating semiconductor wastewater.

He further stated that their research would offer an effective solution to treat semiconductor wastewater with the help of fewer resources and at a lower cost.

Earlier, clean water with a volume 10 times higher as compared to the wastewater under treatment was needed for dilution of the wastewater to lower the alcohol concentration of 10 ppm in the wastewater to less than 1 ppm.

Reportedly, the photocatalyst was applied to wastewater from a semiconductor factory to demonstrate that alcohol decomposition levels comparable to those observed in the laboratory could be achieved in industrial practice.

Source credit - https://www.miragenews.com/development-of-new-technology-for-wastewater-877625/