Hospital emissions: N2O abatement

Nitrous oxide, sweet-tasting and colorless gas, known as laughing gas, is used in chemicals manufacturing, pressure packaging and also in medicine.

In the same time, N2O is emitted during many agricultural and industrial activities. Globally, about 1% of all the nitrogen fertilizer applied to the soil is emitted to the atmosphere as nitrous oxide.

Furthermore, a single nitrous oxide molecule has 298 times higher the global warming potential comparing to carbon dioxide molecule.

In medical treatment, nitrous oxide is widely used as a base anesthetic, extensively for relative analgesia and as a freezing agent in cryosurgery. Therefore, it is a component of waste hospital gas mixture.

Many different ways to collect and destroy the used nitrous oxide were investigated, but the catalyst for the low-temperature range is still highly demanded to proceed with the reduction process.

The offered invention relates to:

• Manufacture technology of supportedspinel catalyst:K/Co2,6Zn0,4|α-Al2O3, 10-15% of active phase supported α-Al2O3;
• Preliminary examination confirmed catalyst activity after 1000h exposure in gas mixture: H2O, O2 NOx i N2O. Operating GHSV was of 5000 h−1;
• For N2O, 90% - 99% is converted in temperature range 450-500°C;
• The form of catalyst is one-opening-Raschig rings (dex /h ~ 4/2 mm).

Catalyst mechanical properties:

• Crush strenght: 20 daN/ring
• Porosity: 50-54%
• Bulk density: 730-750 kg/m3

Intellectual property status

Patent already applied for

Where: Patent Office of the Republic of Poland

Desired business relationship

Technology development