Catalytic Ozonation Laboratory

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.