The document outlines a series of activities related to environmental catalysis, with a focus on using low-cost catalysts to mitigate pollutants in car exhaust. It discusses various types of catalysts, their importance in chemical reactions, and the effectiveness of cheaper alternatives to precious metals in catalytic converters to reduce harmful emissions. The study highlights the significant pollution reduction achieved through catalytic converters, converting toxic gases into less harmful compounds.

1. AL-BAIRAQ
I AM DISCOVERING MATERIALS
CYCLE 8
ENVIRONMENTAL CATALYSIS MODULE
USING CHEAP CATALYST IN CAR EXHAUST
Abdulaziz Aldose Rashed Salem
Rashed Ali Almari Salem Almari

2. OUTLINE
 Introduction
 Activity 1: The decomposition of H2O2 using
yeast as a catalyst
 Activity 2: Searching for Catalysts
 Activity 3: Heterogeneous Acid Catalysis
 Activity 4: Using a Metal Catalyst to
Degrade an Air Pollutant
 Activity 5: Using Photo catalysis to
Degrade a Water Pollutant
 Design Project: Using Cheap catalyst in
car exhaust

3. INTRODUCTION..
 Catalyst: A catalyst is a substance
that will change the rate of a reaction.
A catalyst is often used to make a
reaction go faster.
 The importance of catalysis
Catalysis is of crucial importance for the
chemical industry, the number of catalysts
applied in industry is very large and catalysts
 Environmental Catalysis:
Is the use of catalysts to clean environment
and make pollutants less harmful and they
are useful in industry.

4. ACTIVITY 1: THE DECOMPOSITION OF H2O2 USING YEAST AS A
CATALYST
water peroxide yeast
Yeast
Food
dye
soap Result

5. ACTIVITY 2: SEARCHING FOR CATALYSTS
There are many type of catalyst as :
1- Natural catalysis
2- Heterogeneous catalysis
3- Homogeneous catalysis
SOME IMPORTANT DEFINITIONS
 Heterogeneous catalysis – where the reactants, products and the catalysts
are in different phases. Most commonly gas and solid. Commonly, the
catalyst is a porous high surface area material supporting a active material.
 Homogeneous catalysis where the active material is dissolved in the liquid
reaction mixture. The catalyst may sponsor activity or be directly involved and
reformed as a reaction product.

6. ACT. 3: USING A HETEROGENEOUS ACID CATALYST
Methyl
acetate
solution
Methyl
acetate
solution
+catalyst
Distilled
water
+catalyst

7. THE RESULTS OF THE EXPERIMENT
Time Methyl-acetate
Solution
Methyl-
Acetate
Solution
+Ctalyst
Water
+Catalyst
0 3 5 7
3 3 4 7
6 3 3 7
9 3 3 7
12 3 3 6
15 3 2 6
20 3 2 6

8. ACT. 4: USING A METAL CATALYST TO DEGRADE AN AIR
POLLUTANT

9. ACT. 4: USING A METAL CATALYST TO DEGRADE AN AIR POLLUTANT

10. ACT. 5: USING PHOTOCATALYSIS TO DEGRADE A WATER
POLLUTANT
• Methylin
Blue
• Methylene
Blue +TiO2

11. THE TABLE SHOWS WHAT HAPPENED
DARK uv sun
time •MB+
TiO2
•MB+ MB
TiO2
•MB+ MB
TiO2
MB
0 5 % 5 % 5 % 5 % 5 % 5 %
In time 4.3
minutes its
become 1%
But MB+ TiO2
was faster
3 5 % 5 % 5 % 5 %
6 5 % 5 % 4 % 4 %
9 5 % 5 % 4 % 4 %
12 5 % 5 % 3 % 3 %
15 5 % 5 % 3% 3 %

12. USING CHEAP CATALYST IN CAR EXHAUST
 Converter to help reduce the production of toxic
gases. Catalytic converters use a platinum and
Palladium catalyst with a high surface area. This
increases the rate of reaction of carbon
monoxide and unburnt fuel from exhaust gases
with oxygen from the air.

13. USING CHEAP CATALYST IN CAR EXHAUST
We can exchange the platinum and palladium by
cheap metals as Iron, Copper and Aluminium.
The product from this is carbon dioxide and
water, which is less harmful to the environment.
The catalysts are designed to work best at the
high temperatures found in the engine.

14. USING CHEAP CATALYST IN CAR EXHAUST
 Harmful compounds found in car exhaust: carbon
monoxide (a poisonous gas) nitrogen oxides (a
cause of smog and acid rain) hydrocarbons (a
cause of smog) These are converted into less
harmful compounds before leaving the car’s
exhaust system. This is accomplished using a
catalyst, which gives the device its name.

15. USING CHEAP CATALYST IN CAR EXHAUST
 How its work?
A reduction and oxidation reaction occurs inside the
device. Carbon monoxide (CO) in converted to
carbon dioxide (CO2). Nitrogen oxides (NOx) are
broken down into nitrogen gas (N2) and oxygen gas
(O2). And hydrocarbons (HC) are converted into
carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O).

16. USING CHEAP CATALYST IN CAR EXHAUST
The importance of the product
 Reducing Pollution In gasoline engines, catalytic
converters are reliable and efficient at reducing
pollution. They convert an estimated 90% of the
hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen
oxides produced into less harmful compounds.

17. USING CHEAP CATALYST IN CAR EXHAUST
The importance of the product
 Diesel engines also produce particles such as
soot. But adding a particulate filter to the catalysts
in the catalytic converter can reduce emissions of
ultra-fine particles by up to 99%
 We recommend that cheap converter to be used for
most of the cars in place of that high price
converters to get clean environment.

18. ACKNOWLEDGMENT
Many thanks to my teachers, school and AL-Bairaq
team from Center for Advanced Materials (CAM),
Qatar University for supporting us during our journey
with a AL-Bairaq.
Many thanks also to the partner and sponsors
UNESCO, Ras Gas, Maersk oil and Shell.