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

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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.