NanoCatRed

Several health risks have been associated with the occurrence of inorganic contaminants at concentrations larger than the background levels in surface and ground waters. The sourcing of these waters for human consumption entails several risks that require mitigation in the form of water treatment processes. However, conventional water treatment technologies are not efficient in the removal of these pollutants.

Catalytic hydrogenation is a promising technology for the removal of oxygen-containing anionic contaminants (oxyanions) from water without generation of concentrated secondary waste streams.

Nevertheless, their activity, selectivity, and durability in water treatment have not been sufficiently advanced to ensure clear cost and safety advantages to offset the risks of a disruptive technology change.

We are proposing the development of nanostructured catalysts that can achieve a step-change in the performance of catalysts for hydrogenation in water. This will be achieved by combining the synthesis of novel high-activity metallic nanoparticles (MNPs) with the preparation of nanostructured supports that enhance the catalytic activity of the metallic phases. The synthesis of the nanoparticles will take advantage of recent advances in their fabrication that allow for improved activity. The preparation of the nanostructured supports will rely on recent developments in methods to tune the textural properties and surface chemistry of carbon nanomaterials to improve on the performance of the active supported metal phases. A new equipment will be developed under this project to perform long-term experiments where the efficiency and the activity of this new nanomaterials will be assessed.