NOVEL CATALYSTS FOR THE LOW TEMPERATURE OXIDATION OF VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS

NEW REGULATIONS ARE FORCING THE CONTROL OF VERY DILUTE VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUND (VOC) EMISSIONS. ALTHOUGH CATALYTIC INCINERATION IS INCREASINGLY THE TECHNOLOGY OF CHOICE, ENERGY AND CATALYST COSTS RISE DRAMATICALLY AS THE VOC CONCENTRATION DECREASES. ENERGY COSTS COULD BE GREATLY REDUCED IF CATALYSTS WERE AVAILABLE WHICH ERER ACTIVE AT LOWER TEMPERATURES. TDA RESEARCH, INC. (TDA) HAS SYNTHESIZED AND TESTED A FUNDAMENTALLY NEW TYPE OF CATALYST WHICH HAD THE ABILITY TO OXIDIZE CO AND METHANOL AT TEMPERATURES WHICH ARE 100C TO 150 C (180F TO 270F) LOWER THAN IS POSSIBLE WITH CURRENT CATALYSTS. THESE NEW MATERIALS ALSO HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO BE SIGNIFICANTLY LESS EXPENSIVE THAN CURRENT MOBLE 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 (ALKANES, ALKENES, 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 COSTS OF THE CATALYSTS, ATTACH THE MATERIALS TO A HIGH SURFACE AREA SUPPORT, AND TEST A PROTOTPE UNIT AGAINST COMBINATIONS OF COMPOUNDS.