(February 26, 2016) A
quick, cheap and highly efficient method for producing a water-purifying
chemical has been developed by researchers at Cardiff University.
The team, from the Cardiff Catalysis Institute, Lehigh
University and the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory in the
USA, have developed a new group of catalysts that can produce hydrogen peroxide
(H2O2) on-demand in a simple one-step process, opening up the possibility of
manufacturing the chemical in some of the poorest, remote and disaster-stricken
areas of the world.
Their results have been published in the journal Science.
“Using our new catalyst, we’ve created a method of
efficiently producing H2O2 on-demand in a quick, one-step process,” said
co-author of the study Dr Simon Freakley from the Cardiff Catalysis Institute.
“Being able to produce H2O2 directly opens up a whole host
of possibilities, most notably in the field of water purification where it
would be indispensable to be able to produce the chemical on-site where safe
and clean drinking water is at a premium.”
Over four million tonnes of H2O2 are produced by industry
each year, predominantly through a large, multi-step process, which requires
highly concentrated solutions of H2O2 to be transported before dilution at the
point of use. Current uses of H2O2 include paper bleaching, disinfecting and
water treatment and in the chemical synthesis industry.
Though centralised systems adequately supply clean water to
billions of households around the world, many people still do not have access
to these large-scale water supplies and must therefore rely on decentralised
systems for a safe source of water.