We live in a world filled with products made from petroleum, from plastics to pharmaceuticals, and the processes that turn that petrol into pills are not environmentally friendly. Now, researchers at the University of Kansas are working on a cleaner, greener way for industries to convert oil into usable products.
"These catalysts are absolutely necessary," said Tim Jackson, professor of chemistry at the University and head of the research group. "You would never be able to sit and wait for oil to turn into aspirin."
According to Jackson, the most commonly used catalysts are both toxic and expensive.
But manganese, a common metal mined in countries ranging from South Africa to the Ukraine, is commonly used as a catalyst in biological processes such as photosynthesis in plants.
"There's a lot of current interest in generating environmentally friendly catalysts," Jackson said. "And one really nice way to be inspired is to look at nature."
If manganese can replace chemicals used in industry now, it will be not only cleaner, but cheaper as well.
Catalysts commonly used in industrial processes include metals like chromium, palladium, and platinum. The waste from these metals is harmful to humans and the environment, and they're also more expensive than cleaner alternatives.
"Ask anyone who's shopped for wedding rings, these metals are pretty expensive," Jackson said.
Chromium, as used in manufacturing, is particularly unhealthy, especially if it gets into waste water. It is a known carcinogen, and can cause a host of other health problems if humans are exposed to it, including damage to the eyes, skin, and respiratory tract.
"Unfortunately, the drive has been cheaper is better, but it turns out that cheaper is environmentally friendly too," Jackson said.
According to Jackson's research group, using manganese as a catalyst was inefficient and not very well understood. Robert Geiger, graduate teaching assistant and member of the research group, said that using manganese has been looked at for the last couple decades, but no one understands how the process works.
"The approach has been, mix things into a pot, it works, use it, but we don't know how it works," Geiger said.
Jackson and his team believe that if they can understand how the reaction operates, then they can make it more efficient and cost-effective.
Jackson said that most research in this area has been through a trial-and-error approach, one that he doesn't find intellectually satisfying. He and his team are attempting to understand not only if manganese can operate as a catalyst, but how it does it.
"If you don't know how a car engine operates, you aren't going to be able to optimize it," Jackson said.
Luke Rosebraugh, Ashton, Md., senior and member of the research group explained just how they are peeking under the hood of these reactions.
In the lab, Jackson's team submits the reactions involving manganese as a catalyst to a barrage of tests with a variety of equipment that provides them with information on the structure and reactivity of the reaction.
Unfortunately, due to the long term nature of the research,
Rosebraugh doubts he will still be at the University to see the end
result, which he calls "the synthesis of a greener bleaching catalyst."
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