KSE, Inc.

Summary

The cost to remediate hazardous substances at abandoned or uncontrolled waste sites is estimated at billions of dollars annually over the next several decades. It is therefore imperative that more cost-effective technologies be developed to moderate the societal and monetary cost of these cleanups.

Photocatalysis is an emerging technology that offers the potential of significantly reducing these treatment costs. This new remediation technology treats contaminated effluent air resulting from the application of traditional 'pump and treat' or soil vapor extraction operations. However, photocatalysis of contaminants such as chlorinated hydrocarbons can produce phosgene and chloroform byproducts. To capture the full potential of photocatalysis in Superfund site remediation, photocatalysts with improved selectivity are needed.

The overall goal of KSE's project is to perform the research necessary to develop photocatalysts with high activity and high selectivity to oxidation of chlorinated hydrocarbons, without producing significant levels of byproducts. Project research will will include the development of novel photocatalysts and reactor systems for an Adsorption-Integrated-Reaction (AIR) technology capable of adsorbing and concentrating air pollutants, from a dilute air stream, on the surface of a catalytic adsorbent. It is projected that the AIR technology will provide a simple, inexpensive approach for destruction of chlorinated hydrocarbons at high selectivity for Superfund applications.