The Valorization of an Industrial Pollutant Residue as a Teaching Tool, Part II: The Preparation of Hydrocalumite and Its Application as a Catalyst for Ibuprofen Photoremoval

Aluminum is the most used non-ferrous metal, with a well-established recycling procedure, but this process also produces new residues. We recently proposed an integrated laboratory practice based on the recovery of aluminum from the slag generated during its recycling. Now, we expand upon this research by proposing the preparation of a layered material, namely hydrocalumite, from recovered Al3+. The synthesis of this solid, its characterization, and the use of the mixed oxides produced after its calcination for the photocatalytic removal of ibuprofen from aqueous solutions are structured as a laboratory practice for students in the last years of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Materials Engineering, and related university or masters degrees. In this way, the work integrates material synthesis and characterization procedures with a practical introduction to catalysis photodegradation, incorporating key concepts of the Circular Economy and Sustainable Development Goals, and educating students with respect to the environment.