A research team at UNIST has developed a nature-mimicking catalyst that decomposes hazardous hydrocarbons. It is expected to reduce energy consumption by oxidizing carbon-hydrogen bonds and contribute to preventing environmental pollution.

UNIST (President Jong-Rae Park) announced on the 10th that Professor Jae-Heung Cho's team succeeded in decomposing hydrocarbons in fossil fuels using a catalyst that utilizes water bound to metal.

It can treat hazardous substances under milder conditions than existing methods. It is beneficial for environmental protection as it does not require complex processes or high temperatures.

The research team created a new catalyst that mimics the ability of natural metalloenzymes to oxidize hydrocarbons.

It synthesizes water molecules bonded to metal by adding hydrogen ions to hydroxo ligands composed of oxygen and hydrogen. It is more efficient and uses less energy than conventional methods.

The electron transfer ability of manganese catalysts with added hydrogen ions was improved. The oxygen-hydrogen bond activation speed also increased. This is because the reduction potential of manganese was increased by replacing the hydroxo ligand with water.

Substances with strong carbon-hydrogen bonds, such as anthracene, were also oxidized at low temperatures to remove their toxicity. Aromatic hydrocarbons, which are poorly soluble in water and chemically stable, were effectively decomposed.

Professor Cho Jae-heung said, “This is the first case in which a catalyst consisting of manganese (III) and two types of water reacted with aromatic hydrocarbons at low temperatures.” He added, “The demonstration of manganese’s high oxidation ability to break down strong carbon-hydrogen bonds by controlling its reduction potential will contribute to the development of industrially important metal catalysts.”

The research results were published online on June 3 in the Journal of the American Chemical Society (J. Am. Chem. Soc., Journal of the American Chemical Society), a renowned international academic journal in the field of chemistry. The research was conducted with support from the National Research Foundation of Korea’s Step-up Carbon Neutral Technology Development Project, DACU’s Core Technology Development (R&D), and the National New Drug Development Project.