Catalytic Ozonation Laboratory

University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
What the facility does

Research on catalytic reactions of ozone with emerging pollutants (e.g. pesticides, pharmaceuticals) in water and organic pollutants (e.g. toluene, acetone) in air.

Areas of expertise

The lab develops catalysts and catalytic processes for treatment of polluted air and polluted water.

Hydrocarbon air pollutants (e.g. acetone, formaldehyde) are mostly emitted by furniture and office supplies. Eliminating these pollutants by a controlled catalytic oxidation with ozone can improve quality of indoor air and reduce energy consumption in the buildings. One aspect of our research is to develop catalysts and catalytic air treatment processes to remove pollutants from air at low cost and with low energy consumption.

Emerging pollutants (e.g. pharmaceuticals, pesticides, hormones) are potent chemicals that are being detected in bodies of natural water and are becoming a serious health concern for both aquatic organisms and humans.  Their production is inevitable because of population growth and development. Our current water and wastewater treatment processes do not eliminate these pollutants completely. We use catalysts with size controlled active metal clusters deposited on effective adsorbing supports to convert emerging pollutants to less harmful biodegradable products through catalytic reaction with ozone in water. We work on developing a catalytic ozonation treatment technology to eliminate emerging pollutants from treated wastewater before discharge into river.

Research services

Chemical analysis of liquids and gases, chemical reactions, process development, air treatment, water treatment.

Sectors of application
  • Agriculture, animal science and food
  • Chemical industries
  • Clean technology
  • Construction (including building, civil engineering, specialty trades)
  • Energy
  • Environmental technologies and related services
  • Healthcare and social services
  • Life sciences, pharmaceuticals and medical equipment
Equipment
Gas chromatography mass spectroscopy (GC-MS) instrument
Total organic carbon (TOC) analyzer
High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) instrument
Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) instrument