Chemist Researches Adsorption of Pollutants in Wastewater

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Cum laude graduate Ms Monadia Metedad has been awarded an MSc in Chemistry for research into the adsorption of pollutants in wastewater with metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and cellulosic composites.

Said her supervisor Professor Werner van Zyl: ‘Monadia is one of those rare postgraduate students who runs with the project quite independently once she understands what problem we’re trying to solve. She finds her own solutions within the framework of the project. She can be very proud of her achievement, and any chemical company she works for will benefit tremendously from her skills.’

Metedad chose UKZN as the University is close to home; and because she wanted to improve her technical and analytical skillset as well as obtain a strong research background.

Her research focused on creating composite materials comprising MOFs that were incorporated into cellulosic material. Once synthesised, she made use of the composites in adsorption studies to aid in the uptake of heavy metals, dyes and pharmaceuticals present in wastewater.

‘The area of MOF research was something that I was unaware of until Prof van Zyl proposed doing a project based on the concept,’ said Metedad. ‘Upon reading up on it my interest was immediately sparked.’

She said she found it intriguing because MOFs were a versatile and innovative area that arise from simply connecting metals and ligand molecules under different experimental conditions to create materials that possess properties crucial for adsorbents such as high surface areas and porosities.

‘I’ve always been interested in projects that make use of approaches that are targeted towards achieving environmental remediation,’ she explained. ‘It is a cause that I care about, so being able to contribute towards a solution felt less like working towards a degree and more like a self-interest-driven initiative to conserve and clean up our water resources.’

Metedad was a Sasol bursary recipient throughout her undergraduate and postgraduate degrees and is now working for the company in its graduate development programme, for which she is very grateful. She is currently in the research and technology department, placed with Sasol’s analytics group, and future rotations through the company are planned.

She thanked her mother and grandmother for their support and belief in her, as well as van Zyl for making her time at UKZN seamless. ‘His guidance, faith and patience throughout the project is something I truly appreciated, as it allowed me to become a better researcher,’ she said.

And what does she do when she’s not in the lab? ‘I love everything related to motorsport, so my spare time is usually spent catching up on the worlds of Formula 1, MotoGP and IndyCar,’ added Metedad.

Words: Sally Frost

Photograph: Sethu Dlamini