Done By: Khorg_Gold Group School Name: Al Khor Independent School for Girls Environmental Catalysis Module: Students examines different types of catalytic systems, including heterogeneous and homogeneous catalysis. Depending on the knowledge they gained during activities, the students are then asked to design their projects. Our Project: "Eliminating Amyl acetate From Effluent" Our aim is to treat wastewater produced from food-manufacturing company to prevent effluent from becoming an environmental nuisance .

1. AL-Bairaq
I am Discovering Materials
Cycle 8
Environmental Catalysis Module
“Eliminating amyl acetate from effluent”
Al Khor Independent School for Girls
Khorg_Gold8 Group
Hessa Almohannadi Aysha ALraessi
Raghad Alnajjar Nour Almuraikhi

2. • Introduction
• Activity 1: The decomposition of H2O2 using yeast
as a catalyst
• Activity 2: Examples of Catalysts .
• Activity 3: Homogeneous and Heterogeneous Acid
Catalysis
• Activity 4: Using a Metal Catalyst to Degrade an Air
Pollutant
• Activity 5: Using Photocatalysis to Degrade a Water
Pollutant
• Design Project: Water Pollution

3. Introduction
Catalysis:
Definition: Catalysts are substances that help to speed up
the process of chemical reactions without taking part in
the reaction. This process of speeding up the speed of
chemical reaction without taking part in the reaction is
called catalysis.
•Over 80% of industrial processes involve catalysts.

4. Activity 1: The decomposition of H2O2 using
yeast as a catalyst
Something decomposes when it breaks down into its
component parts.
Hydrogen peroxide is not a very stable compound the
decomposition goes very slowly. In this reaction, yeast
catalyzes the decomposition, making the reaction go much
more quickly.
Yeast

5. Activity 1: The decomposition of H2O2 using
yeast as a catalyst

6. Activity 2: Examples of
Catalysts:
1. Natural catalyst:
Enzymes are the commonest and most efficient of
the catalysts found in nature. Most of the chemical
reactions that occur in the human body and in other
living things are high-energy reactions that would
occur slowly, if at all, without the catalysis provided
by enzymes. For example, in the absence of
catalysis, it takes several weeks for starch to
hydrolyze to glucose; a trace of the enzyme ptyalin,
found in human saliva, accelerates the reaction so
that starches can be digested. Some enzymes
increase reaction rates by a factor of one billion or
more.

7. 2. chemical industry:
Process catalysts play a vital role in the economy.
More than 90% of chemical manufacturing processes
and more than 20% of all industrial products employ
underlying catalytic steps. Petroleum refining, which
is the source of by far the largest share of industrial
products, consists almost entirely of catalytic
processes.
This two types of catalysts—petroleum refining
catalysts and chemical processing catalysts. With
petroleum refining catalysts, the difference in
refinery configurations in each region causes
different patterns of catalyst consumption.

8. Act. 3: Using a Heterogeneous Acid
Catalyst
in chemistry, homogeneous catalysis is a sequence of reactions that involve a catalyst in
the same phase as the reactants. Phase here refers to solid, liquid, vs. gas. Most
commonly, a homogeneous catalyst is co dissolved in a solvent with the reactants.

9. Cont. Activity
3
The result:
1. The pH paper in first 3 minutes of cup No.1 and 3 didn’t change . But cup No.2 change to
orange color .
2. No. 2 cup start to become more darker in 6,9, 12 and 15 minutes. But cup No.1and 3 didn’t
change.
3. That means that cup No.2 is an acidic.
4. When we add the baking soda in cup No.3, its start to bubbled and that mean that cup
No.1 is also acid but it takes time for react with the water.

10. Act. 4: Using a Metal Catalyst to
Degrade an Air Pollutant
In this activity we will investigate the catalytic conversion of ammonia into safe
molecules . More specifically as a class we will compare the performance of an iron
catalyst and two types of copper catalyst in breaking down or degrading ammonia .
Copper
granules
Copper
turnings
Iron
fiber

11. Activity 4

12. Act. 4: Using a Metal Catalyst to Degrade
an Air Pollutant
• The conclusion :
We found after the activity that the best catalyst that
change the ammonia to nitrogen and water is :
1. Copper granules .
2. Copper turning.
3. Iron fiber.
We use indicator called “Phenolphthalein” it color the
ammonia to pink to show the ammonia level.
In the activity we notice that the iron fiber had become
deactivated, or poisoned because it oxidation.

13. Act. 5: Using Photocatalysis
to Degrade a Water Pollutant
A photocatalyst is defined as a substance which is activated by adsorbing a
photon and is capable of accelerating a reaction without being consumed .
These substances are invariably semiconductors. Semiconducting oxide
photocatalysts have been increasingly focused in recent years due to their
potential applications in solar energy conversion and environmental
purification .
+TiO
2

14. Act. 5: Using Photocatalysis to
Degrade a Water Pollutant
UV Sunlight Dark
Dye + Dye
tio2
Dye + Dye
tio2
Dye + Dye
tio2
Time
0 5 5 5 5 5 5
3 5 5 1 5 5 5
6 4 5 5 5
9 4 5 5 5
12 3 5 5 5
15 2 5 5 5
18 2 5 5 5
The conclusion:

15. Act. 5: Using Photocatalysis to Degrade a
Water Pollutant
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
Dye + TiO2
9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
color change
Time
Dark
sunlight
UV

16. Eliminating Amyl acetate From Effluent
•Introduction:
The problem of the scarcity of fresh water from the greatest challenges facing
the State of Qatar, the State in the area of weather conditions are considered
of the most severe climatic conditions in the world, leading to limited water
resources, and lack of surface water. Taking into account population equation,
the State of Qatar is one of the most poverty-stricken areas, water stress in
the world.
•Aim of the work :
treating wastewater produced from food-manufacturing company
prevents effluent from becoming an environmental nuisance and
hazard

17. Eliminating amyl acetate from effluent
The ester amyl acetate (CH3COOC5H11):
Is a mixture of five isomers. It is a colorless, flammable,
volatile liquid that smells and tastes like bananas and is
something called banana oil.
Uses:
1. in a flavoring in foods .
In solvent in nail polishes.
1. Leather polishes.
2. Metallic paints.
Hazards:
Is toxic if swallowed or inhaled, can cause irritation to the
eyes and skin.

18. The experiment

19. 1. treating wastewater produced from
food-manufacturing company prevents
effluent from becoming an
environmental nuisance and hazard.
2. Brake down the amyl acetate to acetic
acid .
Cu catalyst
7
6.5
6
5.5
15 10 5 0.3
pH
Time
Cu catalyst
TiO2 catalyst
8
6
4
2
0
20 15 10 5 0.3
pH
Time
TiO2 catalyst
8
6
4
2
0
20 15 10 5 0.3
pH
Time
Fe catalyst
Fe catalyst

20. : The conclusion
We found after the experiment that the best catalyst that brake the
amyl acetate is
1. Cu
2. Fe
3. TiO2 ( it doesn't work )
The production of acetic acid can be monitored with pH meter ,showing
a reduction of pH from 6 to 5.

21. recommendation:
we recommended the factories to use our project in large scale and try
another catalyst to save our environmental in Qatar.
The problem we had:
the problem we use TiO2 as a catalyst but it didn't work even though
we put it in sunlight

22. 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.
Also, I would like to thank the sponsors UNESCO, Ras Gas,
Maersk Oil and Shell.