Roberto di Pietro is an
Italian young-researcher, who came from Messina. He is a third year Analitical
Chemistry PhD student at the University of Messina and has been working in our
QUIMA group (IOCAG, ULPGC) for six months.
During this period, he has been focused on evaluating the removal capability of a novel polymer including membrane (PIM) toward copper (Cu(II)) in seawater conditions. For this purpose, the main technique used was competitive ligand exchange–adsorptive cathodic stripping voltammetry (CLE-AdCSV). All the experiments were carried out both in UV-irradiated seawater and simpler media like aqueous NaCl to widen the scope of applicability.
The interest of this research is the successful design of a specific protocol both for treating the membrane samples and for the voltammetric analysis. During the six-month period, all the improvements in the experimental design made it possible to obtain important data on the sorption capability of all the studied membranes as well as numerous information on the process itself like on which behalf the sorption happens and with what drawback.
The results set an important milestone in the whole research topic of membranes and materials for environmental applications. The collected data will help in the process of further refining the formulation of the PIMs and achieving a better understanding of their impact on the marine environment.
Aside from lab tests and data, this experience was a continuous source of personal and professional growth thanks to the amazing teamwork developed with all the members of the group and the guidance provided by the senior researchers.