Grantee Research Project Results
Final Report: Novel high-capacity, thermally stable, filter nanomaterials for multi-pollutant removal
EPA Contract Number: EPD15040Title: Novel high-capacity, thermally stable, filter nanomaterials for multi-pollutant removal
Investigators: Loebick, Codruta
Small Business: Precision Combustion, Inc.
EPA Contact: Richards, April
Phase: I
Project Period: September 1, 2015 through February 29, 2016
Project Amount: $99,828
RFA: Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) - Phase I (2015) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) , SBIR - Air and Climate
Description:
Public policy concerns are growing regarding the health impact of indoor air quality (IAQ). We report success with a new approach for air sorbent materials that can be used to directly clean indoor air while saving energy costs by reducing the requirement for outside air ventilation. Precision Combustion developed and demonstrated modified nanocarbons as a high-capacity, energy efficient, highly-regenerable filter nanomaterial, tailorable for sorption of a broad array of organic air contaminants including volatile organic compounds (VOC’s). We controllably modified our nanomaterial's structure towards specific interactions with target air contaminants. Our proof-of-concept evaluation of these sorbents demonstrated the ability to successfully tailor for specific air contaminants and air contaminant types, achieving high retention capacity, avoidance of undesired competing sorption from humidity or carbon dioxide and regenerability at room temperature.
Summary of findings:
The primary application of these nanomaterials is air cleaning in HVAC systems in conjunction with existing particle filters to directly clean indoor air and thereby decrease the need for costly outside air ventilation. Currently about 40% of the energy consumed in US commercial and residential buildings is used for HVAC heating, cooling and ventilation in both residential and commercial buildings (source: US EIA). The amount of added air (which needs to be heated, cooled and humidity-controlled) is determined by the rate of air exchange required to dilute indoor VOC contaminants to healthy IAQ levels. However, this fixed ventilation approach is not energy efficient as it is not linked to any measure of IAQ, and in any case is limited by the quality of the outdoor air. Directly cleaning indoor air, such as through the use of a sorbent material, will reduce the reliance on dilution using energy-costly outdoor air. As applied to air purification, our approach offers:
- Use of a regenerable material demonstrating some of the highest surface areas capabilities of today’s nanomaterials;
- Application of the sorbent to a broad array of polar and non-polar gaseous contaminants;
- A platform that could be tailored to target analytes;
- Low temperature regeneration for improved energy efficiency;
- High regenerability of the nanomaterial for increased sorbent life and lower cost.
Conclusions:
In our Phase I work we modified the nanocarbon sorbent to capture two specific VOC compounds – formaldehyde and toluene. We evaluated our sorbent under contaminant concentrations close to the OSHA exposure limits, and relative humidity up to 55%. Our sorbent showed high retention capacity, regenerability at room temperature (we recovered 80-90 % of sorbent capacity for up to 10 sorption regeneration cycles mostly with air at room temperature) and that capacity was unaffected by humidity. Particularly for formaldehyde we found significantly higher capacity and regenerability compared to common sorbents such as zeolite or activated carbon (twice the capacity of zeolite and more than 7 times that of activated carbon under our testing conditions), especially at higher humidity (at up to 55% RH we found the same capacity for VOC removal as we did at lower humidity, generally, higher humidity negatively affects particularly formaldehyde removal due to competitive adsorption). We also identified several pathways to increase the sorbent’s capacity as well as means for expanding the sorbent’s functionality to other contaminants such as halogenated VOC’s and ammonia. We will further tune our material to achieve optimal compositions necessary for efficient air purification and develop an air purification platform that will demonstrate high capture efficiency, low pressure drop and tunable deep desorption and rapid regenerability in a robust and efficient design adaptable to current HVAC systems. We believe that implementing our highly efficient filter nanomaterial with sensors and a controllable HVAC ventilation system will offer a step advance in indoor health and building environmental controls, simultaneously assuring optimal indoor air quality while reducing the energy required for heating and cooling of building ventilation air.
Commercialization:
With regards to technology commercialization we have reached out to number of companies and are currently exploring strategic business opportunity. Our focus is on engaging with significant players in the market who could support further maturation of technology by providing market and technical insight through strategic partnership.
The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.