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CLEANER SYNTHESIS OF ORGANIC COMPOUNDS USING SEMICONDUCTER PHOTOCATALYSIS
Citation:
SahleDemessie*, E. CLEANER SYNTHESIS OF ORGANIC COMPOUNDS USING SEMICONDUCTER PHOTOCATALYSIS. Presented at 32nd American Chemical Society Meeting, Covington, KY, 05/16-19/2000.
Description:
The chemical industry is a significant component of the domestic economy, generating well over $250 billion in sales and a trade surplus exceeding $15 billion in each of the last 5 years. The industry is also a major source of industrial waste and is the dominant source of hazardous waste in the United States. As a consequence, the chemical industry spends billions of dollars annually on managing pollutants and has hundreds of billions of dollars invested in pollution control equipment. Cleaner chemical processes, involving both evolutionary and revolutionary technologies, could generate less waste and emission of toxic substances, use materials that are less toxic and require less energy than their predecessors. These new technologies, which can emerge from advances in basic research, will help the chemical industry to address the dual goals of global competitiveness and environmental stewardship.
High-value organic compounds have been synthesized successfully from linear and cyclic hydrocarbons, by photocatalytic oxidation using a semiconductor material, titanium dioxide (TiO2). Various hydrocarbons were partially oxgenated in both aqueous and gaseous phase reactors using ultraviolet light and titanium dioxide at mild conditions. The conversions and selectivities obtained for partial oxidation of hydrocarbons have been comparable to those achieved with the conventional method. Photochemical method opens up possibilities of the use of oxygen in partial oxidation reactions now being conducted with far more expensive polluting oxidants. Gas phase reactions eliminate the separation step involved with liquid solvents and minimize the adsorption of products to the catalyst.
Initial life-cycle analysis showed that the technology has the potential to reduce water contaminations and eliminate the use of toxic catalysts. Light-induced catalysis opens up possibilities of the use of oxygen in partial oxidation reactions now being conducted with far more expensive pol