TSU scientists created a catalyst to clean the air from exhaust gases

TOMSK, May 12 – RIA Tomsk. Scientists of Tomsk State University (TSU) developed a catalyst that catches and neutralizes the dangerous exhaust gases of the car, and can also be used in industry to clean the discharge gases from volatile organic compounds, the university's website reported on Wednesday.

It is specified that scientists of the Laboratory for Catalytic Research of the TSU Faculty of Chemistry (LCR TSU) are working on the project to develop catalysts based on nanoparticles of silver, platinum and cerium oxide. It is supported by the Russian Science Foundation (RSF). The fundamental basis for the creation of catalysts was published in the prestigious world journal in the field of catalysis Applied Catalysis B: Environmental (Q1).

"Scientists have created a new polyfunctional material that combines the properties of a sorbent and catalyst. The development of chemists will help solve environmental problems: a new catalyst is capable of capturing and neutralizing toluene, benzene, methanol and other hazardous substances of industrial discharges and exhaust gases of vehicles," says the report.

It is specified that scientists managed to pick up a combination of Ag-CeO2/SBA-15 (silicon oxide with an ordered structure), which does not contain expensive metals (platinum, palladium and gold), but it allows to effectively solve the problem of emission of harmful substances in the air.

"This problem is especially relevant during the "cold start" of the car engine, when the greatest amount of hazardous substances is emitted into the environment. The material allows capturing them at ambient temperature and then neutralizing them to safe substances during the subsequent heating of the catalytic block of the car up to 150-250°C", employee of the TSU Laboratory for Catalytic Research Grigory Mamontov is quoted.

It is reported that this approach can also be used to purify industrial waste gases from volatile organic compounds. The catalysts developed during basic research can be adapted to the specific practical task of air purification.