POISON TOLERANT WASTE HYDROCARBON CATALYTIC CONVERTERS

CONTAMINATED GROUNDWATER HAS BECOME AN IMPORTANT NATIONAL ISSUE, THE TREATMENT OF WHICH IS MOST ECONOMICALLY ACCOMPLISHED BY AIR STRIPPING FOLLOWED BY COMPLETE CATALYTICCOMBUSTION. FOR MANY HYDROCARBON SOURCES, SUCH AS UNDERGROUND GASOLINE STORAGE TANKS, THE CATALYTIC COMBUSTORSARE NOW BEING DEACTIVATED BY CONTAMINANTS, SUCH AS LEAD IN GASOLINE. TO PREVENT INACTIVATION OF THE CONVERTER AND THE ASSOCIATED RELEASE OF AIR POLLUTANTS, POISON TOLERANT DESIGNS ARE URGENTLY NEEDED FOR WASTE HYDROCARBON CATALYTIC CONVERTERS. IN THE PROPOSED RESEARCH, A POISON TOLERANT SYSTEM IS TO BE DEVELOPED WHICH DOES NOT ALTER THE CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF THE OXIDATION CATALYST EMPLOYED. WITH AN INITIAL EMPHASIS ON LEADED GASOLINE CONTAMINATION OF GROUNDWATER, A LEAD TOLERANT SYSTEM IS TO BE DEVELOPED. THE PROGRAM EXPLOITS DESIGN AND CONTROL STRATEGIES TO REDUCETHE IMPACT OF DEACTIVATING CATALYSTS. THE STUDY WILL CONSIST OF THE COLLECTION OF DEACTIVATION DATA ON A COMMERCIAL CATALYST, MATHEMATICAL MODELING OF THE DEACTIVATION PROCESS, AND FEASIBILITY DEMONSTRATION. CERTAIN INSTRUMENTAL STUDIES WILL BE CONDUCTED AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS.