Muthuraman Govindan

A single catalyst of aqueous CoIII for deodorization of mixture odor gases: A development and reaction pathway study at electro-scrubbing process

A constant generation of aqueous Co(III) active catalyst and its utility on various odor gases deodorization at electro-scrubbing process is the primary investigation. The Co(III) activation and regeneration for continuous use is established by electrochemical undivided cell in H₂SO₄ medium. The generated aqueous Co(III) is then applied to simultaneous deodorization of simulated odor gases, namely, ammonia, trimethylamine, hydrogen sulfide, methyl mercaptan, and acetaldehyde, for municipal waste treatment plant emissions. The electro-scrubbing process results indicated that deodorization is almost complete at a low gas flow rate of 30 L min(-1). FTIR and pH studies demonstrated that amine compounds are removed via complex formation with H₂SO₄ and Co(III). In the case of sulfur compounds, deodorization of methyl mercaptan and hydrogen sulfide are removed by the Co(III)-MEO (Co(III)-mediated electrocatalytic oxidation) process via the formation of acetic acid as intermediate and SO₄(2-) as a product. Also, acetaldehyde deodorization results obtained by pH, total acidity and CO₂ analyses evidence the process follow Co(III)-MEO. The constant generation of aqueous active Co(III) and an electro-scrubbing process offers promise as a means of removing odorous waste gases from gaseous emissions.

Mineralization of Gaseous Acetaldehyde by Electrochemically Generated Co(III) in H2SO4 with Wet Scrubber Combinatorial System

Electrochemically generated Co(III) mediated catalytic room temperature incineration of acetaldehyde, which is one of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), combined with wet scrubbing system was developed and investigated. Depending on the electrolytes type, absorption come removal efficiency is varied. In presence of electrogenerated Co(III) in sulfuric acid, acetaldehyde was mineralized to CO2 and not like only absorption in pure sulfuric acid. The Co(III) mediated catalytic incineration led to oxidative absorption and elimination to CO2, which was evidenced with titration, CO2, and cyclic voltammetric analyses. Experimental conditions, such as current density, concentration of mediator, and gas molar flow rate were optimized. By the optimization of the experimental conditions, the complete mineralization of acetaldehyde was realized at a room temperature using electrochemically generated Co(III) with wet scrubber combinatorial system.

Development of a Biphasic Electroreactor with a Wet Scrubbing System for the Removal of Gaseous Benzene

An efficient, continuous flow electroreactor system comprising a scrubbing column (for absorption) and a biphasic electroreactor (for degradation) was developed to treat gas streams containing benzene. Initial benzene absorption studies using a continuous flow bubble column containing absorbents like 40% sulfuric acid, 10% silicone oil (3, 5, 10 cSt), or 100% silicone oil showed that 100% silicone oil is the most suitable. A biphasic batch electroreactor based on 50 mL of silicone oil and 100 mL of activated Co(III) (activated electrochemically) in 40% sulfuric acid demonstrated that indirect oxidation of benzene is possible by Co(III). Combined experiments on the wet scrubbing column and biphasic electroreactor (BP-ER) were performed to determine the feasibility of benzene removal, which is reside in the silicone oil medium. In semidynamic scrubbing with BP-ER experiments using an aqueous electroreactor volume of 2 L, and an inlet gas flow and a gaseous benzene concentration were 10 Lmin(-1) and 100 ppm, respectively, benzene removal efficiency is 75% in sustainable way. The trend of CO2 evolution is well correlated with benzene recovery in the BP-ER. The addition of sodiumdodecyl sulfate (SDS) enhanced the recovery of silicone oil without affecting benzene removal. This process is promising for the treatment of high concentrations of gaseous benzene.

Studies on Effective Generation of Mediators Simultaneously at Both Half-Cells for VOC Degradation by Mediated Electroreduction and Mediated Electrooxidation

Of the several electrochemical methods for pollutant degradation, the mediated electrooxidation (MEO) process is widely used. However, the MEO process utilizes only one (anodic) compartment toward pollutant degradation. To effectively utilize the full electrochemical cell, an improved electrolytic cell producing both oxidant and reductant mediators at their respective half-cells, which can be employed for treating two pollutants simultaneously, was investigated. The cathodic half-cell was studied first toward maximum [CoI(CN)5]4– (Co+) generation (21%) from a [CoII(CN)6]3– precursor by optimizing several experimental factors such as the electrolyte, cathode material, and orientation of the Nafion324 membrane. The anodic half-cell was optimized similarly for higher Co3(SO4)2 (Co3+) yields (41%) from a CoIISO4 precursor. The practical utility of the newly developed full cell setup, combining the optimized cathodic half-cell and optimized anodic half-cell, was demonstrated by electroscrubbing experiments with simultaneous dichloromethane removal by Co+ via the mediated electroreduction process and phenol removal by Co3+ via the MEO process, showing not only utilization of the full electrochemical cell, but also degradation of two different pollutants by the same applied current that was used in the conventional cell to remove only one pollutant.

Effective identification of (NH4)2CO3 and NH4HCO3 concentrations in NaHCO3 regeneration process from desulfurized waste.

This work describes the quantitative analysis of (NH4)2CO3 and NH4HCO3 using a simple solution phase titration method. Back titration results at various (NH4)2CO3-NH4HCO3 ratios demonstrated that 6:4 ratio caused a 3% error in their differentiation, but very high errors were found at other ratios. A similar trend was observed for the double indicator method, especially when strong acid HCl was used as a titrant, where still less errors (2.5%) at a middle ratio of (NH4)2CO3-NH4HCO3 was found. Remaining ratios with low (NH4)2CO3 (2:8, 4:6) show high +ve error (found concentration is less) and high (NH4)2CO3 (7:3, 8:2, and 9:1) show high -ve error (found concentration is higher) and vice versa for NH4HCO3. In replacement titration using Na2SO4, at both higher end ratios of (NH4)2CO3-NH4HCO3 (2:8 and 9:1), both -ve and +ve errors were minimized to 75% by partial equilibrium arrest between (NH4)2CO3 and NH2COONH4, instead of more than 100% observed in back titration and only double indicator methods. In the presence of (NH4)2SO4 both -ve and +ve error% are completely reduced to 3±1 at ratios 2:8, 4:6, and 6:4 of (NH4)2CO3-NH4HCO3, which demonstrates that the equilibrium transformation between NH2COONH4 and (NH4)2CO3 is completely controlled. The titration conducted at lower temperature (5 °C) in the presence of (NH4)2SO4 at higher ratios of (NH4)2CO3-NH4HCO3 (7:3, 8:2,and 9:1) shows complete minimization of both -ve and +ve errors to 2±1%, which explains the complete arresting of equilibrium transformation. Finally, the developed method shows 2±1% error in differentiation of CO3(2-) and HCO3(-) in the regeneration process of NaHCO3 from crude desulfurized sample. The developed method is more promising to differentiate CO3(2-) and HCO3(-) in industrial applications.