Catalyst offers cheaper route to disinfect water

By Tim Wogan2016-02-29T00:00:00+00:00

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Nanoparticles can be used to produce small amounts of hydrogen peroxide with less precious metals in straightforward process

A new cheaper, more effective catalyst for producing hydrogen peroxide directly from hydrogen and oxygen has been created.¹ Researchers in the UK and US say that the method should make production of dilute hydrogen peroxide for water purification, disinfection and other applications more practical.

<cite>Science/AAAS</cite>The catalyst, which contains both small palladium-rich (red) and larger palladium-tin alloy (yellow) nanoparticles on its</div>‘Tin is currently used as promoter for platinum-based light alkane dehydrogenation catalysts,’ say <a href="http://www.inorganic-chemistry-and-catalysis.eu/BertWeckhuysen.html">Bert Weckhuysen</a> of Utrecht University in the Netherlands. ‘Hutchings’ group here is using this tin to fine tune the catalytic properties of supported palladium nanoparticles to make sure that unwanted side- reactions are switched off. I think this an important finding for an important reaction.’ He believes more information is needed, however, about the stability of the catalyst material.<a href="http://ww2.unime.it/catalysis/peoples.htm">Gabriele Centi</a> of the University of Messina also wants more data on catalyst stability, and foresees a potential obstacle to the process, which uses methanol as a solvent. ‘If you use hydrogen peroxide for wastewater treatment or soil cleaning, for example, you need to get rid of the alcohol and have water as the solvent.’

References

1 S J Freakley et al, Science, 2016, DOI: 10.1126/science.aad5705

2 J K Edwards et al, Science, 2009, 323, 1037 (DOI: 10.1126/science.116898)

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