abstracts - Институт катализа им. Г.К. Борескова

OP-I-10CATALYTIC ABATEMENT OF LIQUID AND GASEOUS INDUSTRIALPOLLUTANTS: THE TRANSBOUNDARY CO-OPERATION EXPERIENCEPreis S., Kallas J., Kachina A., Kuznetsova E. 1 , Kozlov D. 1 , Vorontsov A. 1Lappeenranta University of Technology, Lappeenranta, Finland1 Boreskov Institute of Catalysis SB RAS, Novosibirsk, RussiaE-mail: Sergei.Preis@lut.fiIn 2003 the Academy of Finland opened a new programme “Russia in Flux” with theobjective to develop the co-operation activity of scientists in Finland with scientists in Russia.The project proposal from Lappeenranta University of Technology (LUT) and the BoreskovInstitute of Catalysis in Novosibirsk (BIC) was accepted and financed by the Academy for2004-2006, project 208134. The research team consists of two units at the Laboratory ofSeparation Technology of LUT and the Group of Photocatalysis on Semiconductors,Department of Non-Traditional Catalytic Processes, BIC. The work on the project involvesalso the University of Colorado at Boulder (CU) and Tallinn University of Technology(TUT). The acute technogenic environmental problems studied by the research team includeaqueous and gaseous discharges from pulp and paper industry, containing refractory andpersistent compounds, and pollution of air and groundwater with the residues of warfareagents - rocket propellants (RP), basically unsymmetrical dimethyl hydrazine (UDMH), andchemical warfare agents (CWA). The solution methods under consideration are photocatalyticand heterogenous Fenton oxidation of lignin, the abundant aqueous waste of pulp and paperindustry, gas-phase photocatalytic oxidation (PCO) of malodorous thiols, aqueous andgaseous PCO of rocket propellant unsymmetrical dimethyl hydrazine, and aqueous PCO ofchemical warfare agents.Problems under consideration have an acute character for the environment in Northernand Arctic countries due to fragile character of nature in severe climate conditions. From theother hand, the natural factors shaped the profile of this regions’ industry as mainly pulp andpaper production with heavy pollution of major water bodies and air with toxic chemicals.The presence of rockets using liquid fuels, the high toxicity class chemicals, inevitably causesacute environmental problems for the population. Both activities – pulp and paper productionand rocket launching – are believed to be the main sources of immunity depressants in Barenzregion areas.Natural slow, more than 200 days, decomposition of lignin results in formation of toxicphenolics, aldehydes, ketones, methanol and carbonic acids. The current strategies ofwastewater treatment are ineffective against lignin: the only effective white rot fungi-basedbiological oxidation is problematic in non-sterile conditions. The search for the best availabletechnology for thiols abatement is still in progress: the disadvantages of known oxidationmethods are the transformation of sulphur to its volatile acidic dioxide and the loss of catalyst92