Gold-palladium Nanocatalysts Make for Efficient Nitrite Breakdown

Nanowerk News reported that chemical engineers at Rice University have found that engineered nanoparticles of gold and palladium are more efficient at breaking down nitrites, “a common and harmful contaminant in drinking water,” than any of the other catalysts they have studied previously.

As quoted in the market news:

[Michael Wong, professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at Rice and the lead researcher on the new study] said that gold-palladium nanocatalysts with the optimal formulation were about 15 times more efficient at breaking down nitrites than were pure palladium nanocatalysts, and about 7 1/2 times more efficient than catalysts made of palladium and aluminum oxide.

Wong said he can envision using the gold-palladium catalysts in a small filtration unit that could be attached to a water tap, but only if the team finds a similarly efficient catalyst for breaking down nitrates, which are even more abundant pollutants than nitrites.

Click here to read the full Nanowerk News report.