Dr. R.M.S. Indunil Rathnayake attached to the Department of Science and Technology has been awarded 2017 Outstanding Doctoral Thesis Award: Executive Dean’s Commendation Award by Queensland University of Technology (QUT) for her Doctoral thesis on “Synthesis, characterisation and application of inorganic-organic clays for water purification”.

Rathnayake, Suramya I. (2017) Synthesis, characterisation and application of inorganic-organic clays for water purification. PhD by Publication, Queensland University of Technology.

Link to the thesis: https://eprints.qut.edu.au/104320/

Abstract

This thesis reports a new remediation approach for the removal of toxic and high priority water pollutants based on the use of modified clays. Novel types of modified clays called inorganic-organic clays (IOCs) were synthesised and their structures and properties were characterised using various techniques. Adsorption behaviours and removal efficiencies of the IOCs towards both organic and inorganic water pollutants in Single and Binary Contaminants System were investigated. The work provides new insights into the structures, properties and potential environmental applications of IOCs in water remediation.