SBIR Phase I: Novel Inexpensive Titanium Dioxide-Assisted Photocatalysis for Waste Stream Remediation

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9861306 This is a Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project. While many forms of chemical waste are easy to destroy using simple oxidation processes, others, including propellants, explosives, dyes, halocarbons, and wastes tainted with heavy metals, are not. However, these materials, as well as simple organics, can be treated using titanium dioxide (TiO2)-assisted photocatalysis. While all advanced oxidation processes operate by generating hydroxyl radicals (OH*) , TiO2-assisted photocatalysis has the greatest potential for inexpensive operation due to the fact that it requires only air or water and sunlight. The primary drawback of TiO2-assisted photocatalysis is the low solar absorptivity of TiO2,, which yields low oxidation rates. In this project, Ultramet will fabricate a novel blackbody cavity of the TiO2 catalyst material, which will result in virtually all of the incident radiation being absorbed by the catalyst. This material, which has high surface area, high absorptivity, and low pressure drop, can be used as a fixed catalyst bed, eliminating the need to separate the catalyst from the effluent stream. Doping of the TiO2 with other catalytic oxides or noble metal clusters will also be investigated. The applications for a highly efficient supported catalyst are numerous. With 65 metric tons of hazardous solvent waste and 60 metric tons of other chemical wastes generated annually by the chemical process industry, the need for such technology is immense. Military stockpiles are also in need of waste remediation. Moreover, although the U.S. is the leading producer of waste chemicals, other industrial countries could benefit from this inexpensive remediation technology.