Use of Nanosized Catalysts for Transformation of Chloro-Organic Pollutants

A new method to transform anthropogenic, chloro-organic compounds (COC) by use of nanosized molecular catalysts immobilized in sol−gel matrixes is presented. COC represent a serious threat to soil and groundwater quality. Metal loporphyrinogens are nanometer sized molecules that are known to catalyze degradation of COC by reduction reactions. In the current study, metalloporphyrinogens were immobilized in sol−gel matrixes with pore throat diameters of nanometers. The catalytic activity of the matrix arrays for anaerobic reduction of tetrachloroethylene (PCE), trichloroethylene (TCE), and carbon tetrachloride (CT) was examined. Experiments were performed under conditions pertinent to groundwater systems, with titanium citrate and zero-valent iron as electron donors. All chloro-organic compounds were reduced in the presence of several sol−gel-metalloporphyrinogen hybrids (heterogeneous catalysts). For example, cobalt−5,10,15,20-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-21H,23H-porphine (TP(OH)P−Co) and cyanocobalamin (vitamin B12) reduced CT concentrations to less than 5% of their initial values in a matter of hours. Cyanocobalamin was found to reduce PCE to trace amounts in less than 48 h and TCE to less than 25% of its initial concentration in 144 h. The reactions were compared to their homogeneous (without sol−gel matrix) analogues. The reduction activity of COC for the homogeneous and heterogeneous systems ranged between similar reactivity in some cases to lower reduction rates for the heterogeneous system. These lower rates are, however, compensated by the ability to encapsulate and reuse the catalyst. Experiments with cyanocobalamin showed that the catalyst could be reused over at least 12 successive cycles of 24 h each.