Environmental remediation using catalytic ozonation with surface bonded bydrophobic heterogeneous catalysts

在水和废水处理过程中，通常使用化学品（如臭氧，氯及其衍生物）来破坏水中的有害污染物和微生物。臭氧是最强大的化学物质之一，可以将任何有机水污染物转化为二氧化碳和水，并通过杀死微生物来消毒水。由于污染物的臭氧化不会留下污泥残留物，对人类的危害最小，并且很容易在一个步骤中以最小的空间要求进行，因此它是大量水和废水处理问题的首选方法。为了提高臭氧化过程的速度并降低成本，可以使用合适的催化剂。这样的催化剂提供了一种理想的环境，使污染物和臭氧以高浓度聚集在催化剂活性部位上并优先反应。从以前的工作中，我们已经了解到，长链的全氟化碳基团键合到氧化铝载体提供了这样一个理想的介质臭氧和烃类污染物。该催化剂可提高反应速度和臭氧的利用率，从而使臭氧化工艺的反应条件更理想，成本更低。该研究计划的长期目标是了解不同参数对臭氧化催化剂性能的影响，并利用这些发现开发更有效的催化剂用于工业用途。本研究的结果将增加我们对臭氧与水中污染物的吸附和多相催化反应的本质的理解。开发具有高反应速率和高臭氧利用效率的催化剂将提高臭氧在水和废水处理过程中的技术和经济性。紧凑、低成本的臭氧化系统在水和废水处理中有许多应用，特别是在偏远地区和紧急救济营地。

In water and wastewater treatment processes, often chemicals (such as ozone, chlorine and its derivatives) are used to destroy harmful pollutants and microorganisms in water. Ozone is one of the most powerful chemicals that can potentially convert any organic water pollutant into CO2 and water and disinfect the water by killing microorganisms. Since ozonation of pollutants leaves no sludge residue, has minimum hazard to humans and is easily performed in one step with minimum space requirements; it is a method of choice for a large number of water and wastewater treatment problems. To increase the speed and reduce the cost of ozonation process it is possible to use suitable catalysts. Such a catalyst provides a desirable environment for both pollutants and ozone to come together on the catalyst active site at high concentration and to react preferentially. From the previous work, we have learned that long chains of perfluorocarbon groups bonded to an alumina support provide such a desirable medium for both ozone and hydrocarbon pollutants. The catalysts can increase speed of reaction and utilization efficiency of ozone leading to more desirable reaction conditions and lower cost of ozonation process. The long term goal of the proposed research program is understanding effect of different parameters on performance of ozonation catalyst and to use these findings to develop more effective catalysts for industrial use. The results of this study will increase our understanding of the nature of adsorption and heterogeneous catalytic reactions of ozone with pollutants in water. Development of a catalyst with high reaction rate and high ozone utilization efficiency will improve the technology and economics of using ozone in water and wastewater treatment processes. A compact, low cost ozonation system has many applications in water and wastewater treatment especially in remote areas and emergency relief camps.