Catalytic Removal of Bromates from Water: A Hands-On Laboratory Experiment to Solve a Water Pollution Problem through Catalysis

Catalysis is not only one of the most crucial principles of Green Chemistry but also one of the most used industrial strategies to improve yields and to shift to more environmental-friendly processes. Due to the great importance of catalysis, we propose a laboratory activity related to heterogeneous catalysis courses (upper and undergraduate students). It involves the preparation of a catalyst, the study of its activity in a three-phase reaction, and the analysis of the results. The selected reaction is the catalytic removal of bromates in water that can be easily monitored by a simple titration method. Students will analyze the reaction products, and with the obtained data, they will work in different concepts related to catalysis. In brief, this hands-on activity enables students to apply catalysis by themselves as an effective tool to solve a water pollution problem.