Shirish Punde
Ph.D Student—Graduated Fall 2010
I am working on catalytic oxidation of Carbon Monoxide at ambient conditions using microfibrous entrapped catalysts. The removal of CO from breathing air is of importance, as the CO poisoning accounts for more than 4000 deaths every year in US alone. Since, removal of CO by adsorption or absorption is not possible at ambient conditions, removal by means of catalytic oxidation is the only feasible way. A promoted noble metal catalyst has been developed for the application, and the catalyst works great, achieving more than 99% conversion at ambient temperature and humidity (10-90% RH) in low (<500ppm) as well as high (>2500ppm up to 1%) CO concentration. The high voidage and reduced axial dispersion in microfibrous entrapped catalysts enable it to perform significantly better than the packed bed. Also, the high thermal conductivity of MFEC enabled it to perform better and maintain its activity longer than the packed bed. The Microfibrous entrapped catalysts for CO oxidation can find its application in: fire emergency escape products, cathode air filter for PEM fuel cells, CO2 lasers, and vehicle exhaust catalytic converter.
