Novel Photocatalytic Method for Site Remediation

描述（由申请人提供）：国家持续需要减少公众对危险废物的暴露。新的修复技术可以为减少这类危险废物的暴露提供有效的方法。尽管健康问题要求迅速清理废弃的和不受控制的危险废物场址，但高昂的补救费用往往会拖延项目。据估计，在今后几十年里，每年修复这些污染场地的费用将达到数十亿美元。当务之急是开发更具成本效益的技术，以减少修复这些危险废物场址的社会成本。提出的研究计划的目标是证明一种新的修复技术的技术可行性，使用新型光催化剂来破坏危险废物污染物。这种新的光催化技术将与现有技术一起使用，这些技术在地下水和土壤修复方面是有效的，但在其他方面会导致有害的空气排放。有证据表明，这项技术可以比现有技术降低一个数量级的修复成本。研究计划包括开发用于吸附-综合反应（AIR）技术的新型光催化剂和反应器系统，提供能够破坏挥发性有机化合物并具有高活性和长使用寿命的光催化剂。KSE公司已经开发出比传统二氧化钛光催化剂活性高几个数量级的光催化剂。这种新型催化剂也具有更强的选择性和抗失活能力。该研究计划将包括新催化剂组合物的合成，挥发性有机化合物代表性类别的动力学研究，以及确定该概念可行性的设计和经济研究。预计将开发出一种有效的补救技术，为危险废物场地的补救提供一种具有成本效益的工具。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The nation has an ongoing need to reduce exposure of the public to hazardous wastes. Novel remediation technologies can provide an effective method to reduce such hazardous waste exposure. Although health issues require prompt cleanup of abandoned and uncontrolled hazardous waste sites, the high cost of remediation often delays the project. The cost of remediation of such sites is estimated at billions of dollars annually over the next several decades. It is imperative that more cost-effective technologies be developed to reduce the societal cost of remediation of these hazardous waste sites. The goal of the proposed research program is to demonstrate the technical feasibility of a new remediation technology, using novel photocatalysts designed to destroy the hazardous waste contaminants. This new photocatalytic technology would be employed with existing technologies which are effective at groundwater and soil remediation, but which otherwise would result in hazardous air emissions. Evidence suggests that this technology can reduce remediation costs by an order of magnitude over those of current technology. The research plan includes development of novel photocatalysts and reactor systems for an Adsorption-Integrated-Reaction (AIR) technology, providing photocatalysts which destroy volatile organic compounds and which exhibit high activity and long operating lifetimes. KSE, Inc. has developed photocatalysts which are orders of magnitude more active than conventional titania photocatalysts. The new catalysts are also more selective and more resistant to deactivation. The research program will consist of synthesis of new catalyst compositions, kinetic studies on representative classes of volatile organic compounds, and design and economic studies which establish the feasibility of the concept. It is anticipated that an effective remediation technology will be developed, providing a cost-effective tool for hazardous waste site remediation.