An Indian researcher and fellow scientists in Japan have developed a new system that can effectively remove some harmful compounds from air that lead to smog and high ozone levels.
Many volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in air, including nitrogen oxides and sulfur oxides, contribute to smog and ozone levels and are potentially damaging to human health, reported the science portal EurekAlert.Anil K. Sinha at the Toyota Central R&D Labs in Japan and fellow researchers claimed to have developed a new material that they say very effectively removes VOCs as well as nitrogen and sulfur oxides from air at room temperature.
The system involves highly porous manganese oxide with gold nano-particles grown into it, a report in the journal Angewandte Chemie said.
To prove the effectiveness of the new catalyst, the research team carried out tests with acetaldehyde, toluene and hexane - the three major components of organic air pollution that play a role indoor as well as outside.
The three pollutants were effectively removed from the air and degraded by the catalyst - significantly better than with a conventional catalyst system.
Most modern air-purification systems are not particularly good at breaking down organic pollutants at room temperature.
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