Catalytic Manganese Oxide Removal Technology Aneliese Ramsay and

Catalytic Manganese Oxide Removal Technology Aneliese Ramsay and Alan Uraz 2013

Agenda • Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC’s) • Sick Building Syndrome: Reasons, Reduction Methods, Stats • Various technologies for removing VOC’s currently used in the filter market • Catalytic technology • Thermal catalytic filtration manganese oxide

VOC’s • Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) in Your Home • Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) are chemicals that evaporate easily at room temperature. The term “organic” indicates that the compounds contain carbon. VOC exposures are often associated with an odor while other times there is no odor. Both can be harmful. There are thousands of different VOCs produced and used in our daily lives. Many products emit or “off –gas” VOCs.

VOC Concentrations in a New and Old House New houses have as much as ten times more VOCs than older houses. Source: Etkin, D. , 1996, Practical advice for the control of indoor environmental quality, Volatile Organic Compounds in Indoor Environments, Cutter Information Corp. , Arlington MA. , pg. 70.

VOC Contaminants Found in Indoor Air in 41 Office Buildings Source: Freihaut, J. , Pennsylvania State University, College of Engineering, Department of Architectural Engineering.

VOC’s in Household Products

Health Effects of VOCs VOC > Inhalation Household Cleaners Health Effects Acute Eye irritation/ watering Organic Solvents Throat irritation New Carpets Headaches New Furniture Nausea /Vomiting Fumes from Idling automobiles in attached garage Dizziness Chemicals stored in the house Recently applied adhesives Other Air Pollutants Ozone Asthma exacerbation Chronic Cancer Liver Damage Kidney Damage Central Nervous System Damage Source: Minnesota Department of Health, Indoor Air Program, http: //www. health. state. mn. us. divs/eh/indoorair/voc/

Formaldehyde • Colorless, strong smelling gas • Household products, glues, permanent press fabrics, cosmetics • Known to be a human carcinogen National Toxicology Department June, 2011 12 th Ro. C • Naturally occurring in the environment

VOCs -Formaldehyde • The highest levels of airborne formaldehyde have been detected in indoor air, were it is released from products such as building materials and home furnishings. • Formaldehyde levels range from 0. 10 to 3. 8 parts per million (ppm) in homes. • Formaldehyde has been detected in ambient air; the average concentration reported in U. S. urban areas were in the range of 1. 1 to 20 parts per billion (ppb). • Formaldehyde is a known carcinogen. Source: U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, http; //www. epa. gov/ttn/atw/hlthef/formalde. html

Formaldehyde in the News “Exposure to the widely used chemical formaldehyde may raise one's risk of getting amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig's disease, U. S. April 16 th 2008 researchers said on Wednesday”. Formaldehyde spill closes school: April 28 th 2009 June 10 th 2011 May 23 rd 2010 “A school in Norfolk was evacuated and almost 900 pupils were sent home when a fish preserved in a jar of formaldehyde was dropped in a science laboratory. ” “Formaldehyde, styrene among substances deemed carcinogens or likely to cause cancer. The substance was moved into the “known carcinogen” category based on additional research that found those with higher exposure were at increased risk for certain types of rare cancers, including cancer of the throat and a cancer of white blood cells known as myeloid leukemia, officials said. ” China News Service states: “This indoor pollution causes respiratory and other conditions that kill 2. 2 million youths each year, one million of whom are under the age of five” “Government scientists listed formaldehyde as a carcinogen, and said it is found in worrisome quantities in plywood, particle board, mortuaries and hair salons”

OHSA vs. Other Agencies • PEL. 75 ppm over 8 hours • 2 ppm allowed for 15 min. • NIOSH REL 0. 016 ppm • Ceiling limit of. 1 ppm • ACGIH TLV. 3 ppm

SBS- Overview, Reasons, and Stats • Lets define Sick Building Syndrome • Acute health effects (20% 2 weeks) • Linked to time in a building • Leave building symptoms reduced

Overview • • • History of SBS It all began in the 1970’s Legionella, air-tight buildings, energy crunch Poor layout Inappropriate furnishings and building fabric An open office floor plan. Lack of attention to the space planning A typical building designed to be air tight but there could be unintended openings

Classifications Building Related Illness (BRI) Internal Sources Neurotoxic Mass Psychogenic Illness (MPI) 5 CFM, 10 CFM, 20 CFM External Sources

Sources of SBS

Source Details • Temperature- 20 degrees Celsius to 26 • Humidity- above 70%; less then 15% RH • Ventilation- How well managed • Artificial Light- lighting level, insufficient contrast, excessive brightness and glare • Noise and Vibrations- 70 -80 d. B. 32 -128 Hz. • Ions- and ozone

Source Details Continued • Carbon Dioxide (C 02)- p>0. 05 positive association. 350 ppm-2, 500 ppm study at Carbon Monoxide (CO)- 10 mg/m 3 • Nitrogen Dioxide (NO 2)-. 15 mg/m 3 and of . 40 mg/m 3 24 hour and 1 hour

SBS Stats 20% suffer headaches, mucus membrane irritation, fatigue, dizziness, and nausea 20 million infected in the US from asthma Americans spend 90% of their time indoors 6 million children EPA estimates annual productivity losses to be 50 to 80 percent of 900 workers in Britain, 60 billion Denmark, and Sweden report SBS 14% decrease in productivity 10 to 25 million workers in 800, 00 to 1. 2 million commercial buildings have SBS 3% decrease nationwide if multiplied by the est. suffers of SBS 5% greater if air velocity decreased by 0. 1 m per second 4% lower when carbon dioxide decreased from 3 -6 billion could be saved due to reduced 1000 to 600 ppm allergies and asthma

Manganese Oxide Formaldehyde Elimination

Catalysis • Increase rate of a reaction, and are not consumed in the reaction themselves. • Significant use in industrial applications. Used in one or more steps in 90% of manufactured products. • Catalytic Converters • NOx, hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide >>> N 2 (nitrogen) carbon dioxide, water

Manganese • • • Element Transition Metal Highly abundant element (12 th most in Earth’s crust) Exists in numerous crystal and oxidation states Mn. Ox- black/brown

Mn. Ox Catalyst • Black/brown • Nanometer scale ( ~ 50 nm) • Increases Surface Area to Volume Ratio (SA: V) • Size of virus • Increases amount of contact with air • Commercial grade Mn. Ox not nanometer scale

Thermal Catalytic Process How the Thermal Catalytic Process Works Nano-particle Manganese Oxide Harmless Water and Carbon Dioxide Mars and Van Krevelen Mechanism H 2 O Langmuir-Hinshelwood Mechanism Eley-Rideal Mechanism Formaldehyde H 2 O CO 2

Mn. Ox Catalyst Benefits • Destruction of Formaldehyde and some VOC’s • Passive, works at room temperature, no additional heating or UV element necessary • Longevity • Cheap

Limits on Formaldehyde • California EPA Worker Safety Limit: 9 ppb • Average for most homes and businesses: 17 ppb • Carcinogen • Used to preserve tissue permanently • Widely used in carpeting, flooring, glues, resins, and woodbased furniture • EPA estimates every 8 ppb of formaldehyde causes 1/10, 000 people to have an increased risk of cancer = 60, 000 people

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratories Mn. Ox Catalyst Na. Mn. O 4 + Mn. SO 4 + H 2 O = Mn. O 2 +H 2 SO 4 + Na 2 SO 4 +H 2 O Performance: 80% single-pass formaldehyde destruction at 100 fpm, 30 -45 ppb foraldehyde (CH 2 O) -No byproducts (formate, CO, etc) -3 months continuous operation -20% drop in formaldehyde removal Sidheswaran et al, 2011, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratories

Filter Longevity

Slide Test Data Mn. Ox Single Pass Conversion Longevity Under Constant 200 -300 ppb Formaldehyde Exposure Conversion Efficiency 100. 00% 90. 00% 80. 00% 70. 00% 60. 00% 50. 00% 40. 00% 30. 00% 20. 00% 10. 00% 0 50 100 Days 150 200

Wrapping it all Up • VOC’s • Sick Building Syndrome • Formaldehyde • Catalytic Technology • Manganese Oxide

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