Telecom switch destroys dioxin
14 Nov 2002
Fujitsu Technology has developed a dioxin-decomposition process which, it claims, is 100 times more effective than current methods of breaking down the carcinogenic substances.
Combining plasma and catalyst technologies, the process can render high concentrations of dioxins harmless, the company says.
The technology used in the process was originally developed in the mid-1990s for carrying speech in telephone switching systems, but Fujitsu soon realised that the combination of energetic, conductive plasma and a catalytic metal could be used to break down gases.
The reactor consists of a glass tube, with a platinum-plated electrode running down its centre. 'Several tens' of kilovolts are applied between the internal electrode and another electrode outside the glass, then a mixture of nitrogen gas and dioxin is pumped into the tube. The technique renders dioxins harmless at concentrations up to 100µg/m3 of nitrogen, the company says.
The Fujitsu researchers are now refining the process by replacing the platinum catalyst with a high-performance ceramic material.
