A new catalyst breaks down greenhouse gases and pollutants at room temperature.
Fluorocarbons–common chemicals in which carbon is bound to fluorine–are potent greenhouse gases, and some form toxic compounds that can accumulate in the environment. But neutralizing fluorocarbons has required a process whose high temperature drives up its cost, limiting its adoption. Researchers at Brandeis University report in Science today that they have found a catalyst that breaks the carbon-fluorine bond at room temperature, promising easier and more effective disposal of pesky pollutants.
The strength of the fluorine-carbon bond makes fluorocarbons valuable in chemically resistant and durable materials such as stain repellants, nonstick cookware, and coolants. But it also explains why they are so difficult to dispose of. One type of fluorocarbon, the ozone-destroying chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), has now been widely banned under the Montreal Protocol, but the two other main types also present environmental problems.
