LOW TEMPERATURE OXIDATION CATALYSTS

INCREASINGLY STRINGENT REGULATIONS ARE REQUIRING THE CONTROLOF VERY DILUTE EMISSIONS OF VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS (VOCS). ALTHOUGH CATALYTIC INCINERATION IS BECOMING THE TECHNOLOGY OF CHOICE, ENERGY COSTS AND CATALYST COSTS RISE DRAMATICALLY AS THE VOC DECREASES. ENERGY COSTS COULD BE REDUCED DRAMATICALLY IF CATALYSTS WERE AVAILABLE WHICH WERE ACTIVE AT LOWER TEMPERATURES. TDA RESEARCH (TDA) HAS SYNTHESIZED A FUNDAMENTALLY NEW TYPE OF CATALYST HAS THE ABILITY TO OXIDIZE CO AND METHANOL AT TEMPERATURES WHICH ARE100 DEGREES CENTIGRADE TO 150 DEGREES CENTIGRADE (180 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT TO 270 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT) LOWER THAN IS POSSIBLE WITH CURRENT CATALYSTS. THESE NEW MATERIALS ALSO HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO BE SIGNIFICANTLY LESS EXPENSIVE THAN CURRENT NOBLE METAL CATALYSTS. IN PHASE I, TDA WILL FORMULATE A RANGE OF CATALYSTS, DETERMINE THEIR ACTIVITY AS A FUNCTION OF TEMPERATURE AGAINST COMPOUNDS REPRESENTATIVE OF THE VARIOUS CATEGORIES OF VOCS (AROMATICS, ALCOHOLS, KETONES, ALDEHYDES, AND HALOCARBONS), AND CARRY OUT AN ENGINEERING ANALYSIS TO DETERMINE THE ECONOMIC POTENTIAL OF THE NEW CATALYSTS. IN PHASE II, TDA WILL FURTHER IMPROVE THE ACTIVITY AND REDUCE THE COST OF THE CATALYSTS, ATTACH THE MATERIALS TO A HIGH SURFACE AREA SUPPORT, AND TEST A PROTOTYPE UNIT AGAINST COMBINATIONS OF COMPOUNDS.