Researchers at Drexel University’s College of Engineering have pioneered a new approach to producing ozone for water purification, potentially revolutionizing water treatment technologies. The study, led by PhD student Rayan Alaufey under the guidance of Maureen Tang, PhD, associate professor of chemical and biological engineering, was recently published in the Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters.
The team developed a co-doping strategy using tin oxide, an abundant and non-toxic material, to create efficient catalysts for electrochemical ozone production. This method involves adding two types of impurities, or “dopants,” to tin oxide.
“The first type makes the process more selective toward ozone production, while the second increases the overall output,” Alaufey explained.
The researchers combined n-type dopants to enhance electrical conductivity with transition metal dopants to generate key radical intermediates. This combination successfully induced ozone production activity in previously inactive tin oxide.
The ozone created by this process is then used for water treatment. Where other treatment methods like chlorine break down into harmful chemicals, ozone breaks down into harmless oxygen. In some cases, it can even generate valuable hydrogen fuel as a byproduct.
The next step is scaling up production while maintaining lab-level performance. This research, conducted in collaboration with theorists at the University of Pittsburgh, represents
a significant advancement in electrochemical ozone production.
Alaufey concluded, “By improving ozone production efficiency and selectivity, we’re paving the way for more widespread adoption of this technology in water treatment systems, addressing critical environmental and public health challenges worldwide.”
