Efficient Photoremediation of Chemical Agents by Quantized Semiconductor Nanocatalysts

There is an increasing need for an innovative technology for low cost remediation of chemical warfare agents and chemical wastes. Existing technologies such as bioremediation are not suitable for remediating chemical warfare agents because they are toxic to biological processes. Furthermore, for chemical wastes of military and some commercial wastes such as surfactants, bioremediation is too slow and too expensive (requires a constant supply of nutrients, etc.). An innovative alternative is photooxidation on semiconductor particles. Photooxidation of chemicals on semiconductor catalyst is fast and works with solar energy. However, for solar irradiation-based photoremediation to become commercially viable, the process efficiency (quantum yield) of existing semiconductor particles needs to be significantly higher. To this purpose, Nanomaterials Research Corporation (NRC), in collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, will develop nanocatalysts with significantly improved photocatalytic activity. NRC's technical approach, during Phase I, is to investigate quantized nanoparticles of TiO(2) (Q-TiO(2)), with and without absorption-band broadening dyes, as photocatalysts. During Phase II, NRC will design, assemble and test a photoreactor. Furthermore, NRC will initiate commercialization of the photoremediation technology based on quantized nanocatalysts during Phase II.