The EPA has identified indoor air pollution (IAP) as one of the most urgent environmental issues in the US. While there are many sources of IAP, the most prevalent and difficult to address is secondhand cigarette smoke. Existing technologies are excellent at removing particulates, but are inadequate for removal of VOCs. Existing VOC removal technologies suffer from:1. effectiveness on only certain classes of VOCs,2. limited lifetimes, necessitating frequent maintenance,3. high operating costs and/or4. transfer of VOCs into the solid phase, creating wastes requiring disposal.E. Heller & Company (EHC) is developing photocatalytic systems for the destruction of indoor air pollutants, including VOCs and gas phase inorganics such as NOx, CO and hydrogen cyanide. Photo-catalysis is a promising technology that uses UV light to drive oxidation and reduction reactions on catalyst surfaces. These reactions convert VOCs to water and carbon dioxide. EHC will apply its novel chemistries and reactor designs to the destruction of secondhand cigarette smoke. In Phase I, EHC will show that formaldehyde, acrolein, hydrogen cyanide, benzene and the PAH model phenanthrene are destroyed at sufficiently rapid rates and with no toxic byproducts. Effectiveness is reducing total hydrocarbons in actual sidestream cigarette smoke will be demonstrated.
