Scientists have designed lampshades that convert indoor air pollutants into benign substances using waste heat from light bulbs, with plans to adapt this technology for LEDs.
Indoor air pollution may have met its match. Scientists report that they have designed catalyst-coated lampshades that transform indoor air pollutants into harmless compounds. The lampshades work with halogen and incandescent light bulbs, and the team is extending the technology so it will also be compatible with LEDs.
Presenting Groundbreaking Research
The researchers presented their results at the fall meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS). ACS Fall 2023 featured about 12,000 presentations on a wide range of science topics.
Targeting Harmful Compounds
The lampshades target volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which account for most indoor airborne pollutants, according to Hyoung-il Kim, Ph.D., the project’s principal investigator. These compounds include acetaldehyde and formaldehyde and are released by paints, cleaners, air fresheners, plastics, furniture, cooking, and other sources.
“Although the concentration of VOCs in a home or office is low, people spend more than 90% of their time indoors, so the exposure adds up over time,” Kim says.
“Conventional methods to remove VOCs from indoor air rely on activated carbon or other types of filters, which have to be replaced periodically,” says Minhyung Lee, a graduate student in Kim’s lab at
“This was the first demonstration to utilize waste heat from lamp sources,” Kim says. Most previous research projects, and even a couple of lamps on the market, have instead relied on light-activated photocatalysts to destroy indoor air pollution.
Future Directions and Innovations
Recently, Kim’s team has been exploring less expensive substitutes for platinum. The team has already shown that these new iron- or copper-based catalysts can break down VOCs. In addition, copper is a disinfectant, so Kim anticipates that the copper catalyst could kill airborne microorganisms.
Now, the scientists are looking for ways to extend the pollution-destroying lampshade concept to LEDs, a fast-growing segment of the lighting market. Unlike halogen and incandescent bulbs, however, LEDs release too little heat to activate thermocatalysts. Therefore, Kim’s team is developing photocatalysts that are stimulated by the near-UV light emitted by LEDs, as well as other catalysts that transform part of the LEDs’ visible light output into heat.
“Our ultimate goal is to develop a hybrid catalyst that can utilize the full spectrum produced by light sources, including UV and visible light, as well as waste heat,” Kim says.
Meeting: ACS Fall 2023
The researchers acknowledge support and funding from the National Research Foundation of Korea; Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport; Ministry of Environment; and Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.
Title
Thermocatalytic oxidation of VOC through harnessing indoor waste heat
Abstract
With the onset of modernization, the time spent indoors has increased due to the severity of air pollution (