Cleaner water using bimetallic nanoparticle catalysts |
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| Authors: | Michael S Wong Pedro J J Alvarez Yu‐lun Fang Nurgül Akçin Michael O Nutt Jeffrey T Miller Kimberly N Heck |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Rice University, 6100 S. Main Street, Houston, Texas 77005, USA;2. Department of Chemistry, Rice University, 6100 S. Main Street, Houston, Texas 77005, USA;3. Center of Biological and Environmental Nanotechnology, Rice University, 6100 S. Main Street, Houston, Texas 77005 USA;4. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Rice University, 6100 S. Main Street, Houston, Texas 77005, USA;5. Department of Chemistry, Yildiz Technical University, Istanbul, Turkey;6. Argonne National Laboratory, Chemical Sciences and Engineering Division, 9700 S. Cass Ave., Argonne, IL 60439‐4837 |
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| Abstract: | Groundwater contaminated by hazardous chlorinated compounds, especially chlorinated ethenes, continues to be a significant environmental problem in industrialized nations. The conventional treatment methods of activated carbon adsorption and air‐stripping successfully remove these compounds by way of transferring them from the water phase into the solid or gas phase. Catalysis is a promising approach to remove chlorinated compounds completely from the environment, by converting them into safer, non‐chlorinated compounds. Palladium‐based materials have been shown to be very effective as hydrodechlorination catalysts for the removal of chlorinated ethenes and other related compounds. However, relatively low catalytic activity and a propensity for deactivation are significant issues that prevent their widespread use in groundwater remediation. Palladium‐on‐gold bimetallic nanoparticles, in contrast, were recently discovered to exhibit superior catalyst activity and improved deactivation resistance. This new type of material is a significant next‐step in the development of a viable hydrodechlorination catalysis technology. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry |
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| Keywords: | nanoparticles nanotechnology catalysis trichloroethene water pollution gold |
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