Science in Developing Countries: U.S.-Kenya Cooperative Science Research on Electrocatalytic Reduction of Organohalides in Surfactant Media

本项目支持内罗毕大学的Geoffrey Kamau博士参与一项正在进行的长期项目，该项目旨在开发新的电催化方法，以破坏水表面活性剂介质中的卤化有机污染物。该合作组件为期两年的具体目标围绕优化实验设计因素，以实现显着更快的脱卤速率。该研究项目的广泛、长期目标是为沉积物、土壤和工业油等受污染物质的永久有效解毒制定新策略，通过建立有机卤化物电子转移反应的基本动力学和热力学特征，为有机卤化物的毒性和环境相互作用提供新的见解。有机卤化物对环境的污染是一个世界性的问题。正在开发的除卤方法也应直接适用于其他污染物。该项目符合发展中国家科学（SDC）计划的标准，因为它加强了美国科学家和工程师与发展中国家同行之间的合作，并提高了发展中国家科学家和工程师解决发展制约因素的能力。

This project supports the participation of Dr. Geoffrey Kamau of the University of Nairobi in an ongoing, long-term project to develop new electrocatalytic approaches for destruction of halogenated organic pollutants in aqueous surfactant media. Specific aims for the two-year period of this collaborative component center around optimizing experimental design factors to attain significantly faster dehalogenation rates. The broad, long-term goals of the research project are to make possible new strategies for permanently effective detoxification of contaminated materials such as sediments, soils, and industrial oils, and to provide new insights into toxic and environmental interactions of organohalides by establishing fundamental kinetic and thermodynamic characteristics of their electron-transfer reactions. Environmental contamination with organohalide chemicals is a worldwide problem. Dehalogenation methods being developed should be directly applicable to other pollutants as well. The project is consistent with the criteria for the Science in Developing Countries (SDC) program in that it strengthens collaboration between U.S. scientists and engineers and their counterparts in developing countries, and increases the capacity of scientists and engineers in developing countries to address constraints to development.