Nanoparticles embedded membrane reactor for the reductive degradation of chlorinated organics: TCE and PCB studies

The use of chitosan as the polymeric material for the synthesis of novel membrane reactor with bimetallic nanoparticles (Ni/Fe, Pd/Fe) is described. The feasibility of the Ni/Fe and Pd/Fe nanoparticles embedded in the chitosan as the mixed matrix membrane reactor in the degradation of chlorinated organics such as trichloroethylene (TCE) and polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) is examined. Nanoparticles distribution is uniform on the surface as well as in the porous membrane matrix. The bimetallic nanoclusters consist of 3-5 nm particles, which were homogeneously distributed in the membrane. Rapid TCE degradation rate with the formation of ethane as the main product was observed using the chitosan-embedded Ni/Fe nanoparticles. The potential use of chitosan-embedded nanosized metals as novel mixed matrix membranes to achieve environmentally important dechlorination reactions with minimal materials loss by the recapturing/chelating ability of the membrane is demonstrated. This is an abstract of a paper presented at the AIChE Annual Meeting and Fall Showcase (Cincinnati, OH 10/30/2005-11/4/2005).