UPS HUB - HOME OF PHILIPPINES BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES

Unified Products and Services Incorporated was established and was officially launched November 11, 2011.

The company was initially formed as the exclusive marketing arm of Global Pinoy Remittance and Services Incorporated, its sister company.

Mr. Emmanuel Pascual is the President and owner of Global Pinoy Remittance Incorporated, Unified Products and Services Incorporated and Unlitech Incorporated.

Unlitech Incorporated is the system provider for GPRS and UPS.

With the phenomenal growth of the company and its proven expertise in multi-level marketing, Unified Products and Services Incorporated shifted to be an independent Multi-Level Marketing Company, and will cater to the traditional products and also to technology based services such as Remittance, Ticketing, Bills Payments and Universal Loading.

Unified Products and Services Incorporated offer various Dealership packages and Franchise hub.  It will empower global communities towards attaining financial freedom and economic stability.

Unified Products and Services Incorporated exists with the paramount purpose of providing business opportunities to everyone through our world class quality products and services.

The company enshrined in its helm the tenets of Unity, People Oriented, and Service & Products Excellence.

VISION:

To be the world class leader in Multi-Level Marketing industry, empowering the global community in attaining financial freedom and economic stability.

MISSION:

•     To provide business opportunities to individuals through our world-class quality products and services.
•    To develop professional multi-level marketing leaders who will spearhead an innovative marketing plans.

CORE VALUES:

√   Unity
√   People Oriented
√   Service & Product Excellence

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SERVICES:

BILLS PAYMENTS:

UPS Express Bills Payment provides Fast, Secured and Convenient online bills payment solutions. Now you can manage your entire bills payment process online anytime, anywhere you have Internet availability.

REMITTANCE:

UPS Express Remittance Services is a fast and secured money transfer around the world to reach out overseas working for their love ones in the Philippines.

UNIVERSAL eLOADING:

With UPS Express Loading, start a Loading business using ONE SIM AND ONE LOAD WALLET to load all networks and use the UPS Online System to make it easier to keep a record of your daily business transactions. Transfer LOADS online and or via your one mobile phone. Sell Game Cards and other Load Cards too. 

TICKETING:

UPS Express Ticketing is a booking services flight in the Philippines to reach out the people with convenient and easy transaction in all GPRS and UPS Hub Branches nationwide. You can now book and buy your own tickets and or sell tickets to others.

TRAVEL AND HOTEL BOOKING:

Organized Package Tours; provide tourist guides and/or escorts, tourist vehicles, hotels & resorts reservations, domestic & international tickets. Aside from the regular tour services we tailor-made, customized for groups & individuals, incentive, educational, business, corporate and professionals.

PAWNSHOP BUSINESS:

ADDITIONAL SERVICES FOR OUR LOCAL FRANCHISE HUB PACKAGE - COMING SOON!

COURIER SERVICES:

OUR COURIER SERVICE IS COMING VERY SOON! ADDITIONAL SERVICES FOR OUR LOCAL FRANCHISE HUB PACKAGE

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FRANCHISE HUB

Unified Products & Services Incorporated wishes to announce the launching of the UPS HUB FRANCHISE PACKAGES as follows:

595K PACKAGE: Php595,000

Franchise Fee = Php150,000
System Fee = 100,000
VAT 12% = 30,000
Security Deposit = 100,000
Revolving Fund = 16,000
Savemore Products = 50,000
10 Global Dealer Kits = 145,250
50 Visa Cards = 7,500
TOTAL INCLUSIONS = Php598,750

Inclusions will be:
1. Signage
2. Whiteboard
3. Personal Computer
4. Photocopying Machine

Services Covered:
1. Bills Payment
2. Remittance
3. Universal Loading
4. Ticketing (Domestic and International)

Note:
1. Furniture and fixtures will be supplied by the company at additional cost.
2. Lay-out and design shall be subject to the approval of the company.


398K PACKAGE: Php398,000

Note: The 398K Package is a PROMO package and is only available to the 1^st 20 Franchisee!

Franchise Fee = Php150,000
System Fee = 100,000
VAT 12% = 30,000
Security Deposit = 100,000
Revolving Fund = 16,000
50 Visa Cards = 7,500
TOTAL INCLUSIONS = Php403,500

Inclusions will be:
5. Signage
6. Whiteboard
7. Personal Computer
8. Photocopying Machine

Services Covered:
5. Bills Payment
6. Remittance
7. Universal Loading
8. Ticketing (Domestic and International)

Note:
3. Furniture and fixtures will be supplied by the company at additional cost.
4. Lay-out and design shall be subject to the approval of the company.

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PRODUCTS: DEALERSHIP PACKAGES

GLOBAL DEALER PACKAGE = 14,998 PESOS

Web tool account, where you have GPRS access in transacting different services we offer;
-Loading
-Bills Payment (Maximum of 10 Transactions/day)
-Remittance (Local and International)
-Ticketing (Local and International)
-Hotel Accommodation (Local and International)
• 2 GPRS visa card (Debit & ATM Card);
• 10pcs 3fold leaflets (Web Loading & GPRS Brochure);
• 65 RAC (Retailer Activation Card) for loading;
• 1 GPRS Dealer Tarpaulin

PINOY DEALER PACKAGE = 7,998 PESOS

Web tool account, where you have GPRS access in transacting different services we offer;
-Loading
-Bills Payment (Maximum of 10 Transactions/day)
-Remittance (Local)
-Ticketing (Domestic Only)
• 1 GPRS visa card (Debit & ATM Card);
• 5pcs 3fold leaflets (Web Loading & GPRS Brochure);
• 40 RAC (Retailer Activation Card) for loading;
• 1 GPRS Dealer Poster

SUB - DEALER PACKAGE = 3,998 PESOS

Web tool account, where you have GPRS access in transacting different services we offer;
-Loading
-Bills Payment (Maximum of 5 Transactions/day)
-Remittance
• 1 GPRS visa card (Debit & ATM Card);
• 5pcs 3fold leaflets (Web Loading & GPRS Brochure);
• 20 RAC (Retailer Activation Card) for loading;
• 1 GPRS Dealer Poster 

VISA RETAILER CARD  = 998 PESOS

Web tool account, where you have GPRS access in transacting different services we offer;
-Loading Service
-Remittance Service
• 1 GPRS visa card (Debit & ATM Card) 

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A MUST WATCH VIDEOS:

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FOR BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY, CONTACT US AT:

+639999930315

+639178811365

+639228807291

2154791

Email Address:

trulyrich2001-ups@yahoo.com

alpagatpatan@gmail.com

ups@upsPhilippines.com

Websites:

upsphilippines.com

businessopportunityphilippines.com

TO GOD BE THE GLORY!

GPRS GLOBAL PINOY REMITTANCE SERVICES INC. - NEGOSYO

GPRS Global Pinoy Remittance and Services Incorporated is a true valued service for the Global Filipinos that promotes reliability and efficiency.

We offer fast and reliable money transfer at great low transactions fees. GPRS gives you the power to send money at the convenience of your computer to your friends and families 24/7 anywhere!

GPRS is an online based transaction and reporting facility capable of doing wallet system fund transfer and airtime load transfer, bills payment transactions, remittance transactions, local and international ticketing, travel and hotel booking, and other services.

  The Company was formed last 2006 and was known as GPRS or Global Pinoy Remittance and Services Inc. It is a service oriented company and specializes in the design and sales of commercial consumer service industry duly registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission [SEC] and Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas [BSP]. After establishing more than 90 GPRS Franchise Outlets (also called as Recognized Business Centers) together with the accredited 200 GPRS partners around the world they decided to network GPRS.

Global Pinoy Remittance And Services Incorporated is proud to declare that the company has its own IT System called UNLITECH INC. or UNLIMITED TECHNOLOGIES INC., which serves as the main server for all transaction between its networks of outlets. This provides the Company the edge to deliver fast, accurate and efficient remittance and fund transfer facilities.

On August 2011, GPRS included NETWORKING in the business so that more Filipinos can have better access to the services GPRS is offering in their  franchising business and at the same time have access to earning opportunities!

GPRS decided to launch the following DEALER PACKAGES: 
(1) Retailer Dealer Package  = P998 pesos/account
(2) Sub-Dealer Package = P3,998 pesos/account
(3) Pinoy Dealer Package = P7,998 pesos/account
(4) Global Dealer Package = 14,998 pesos/account
The DEALER PACKAGES was designed for personal use or as a home based business. BUT, some members decided to ADD this services to their existing business!

We also offer the following FRANCHISE PACKAGES:
1. GPRS Local Franchise Package = 1.2 Million pesos initial investment,
2. GPRS Global Franchise Package = 3 Million pesos initial investment,
3. Savemore Pharmacy and MInimart = 1.7 Million to 8 million pesos.

And the DEALERSHIP was officially launched on November 11, 2011.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE FOLLOW THIS LINK:

www.gprsphilippines.com

www.gprsinternational.com

You can also contact us in the following numbers:

+639999930315 - Smart

+639178811365 - Globe

+639228807291 - Sun

THANK YOU & GOD BLESS!

TO GOD BE THE GLORY!

yY

HOW TO HANDLE THESE ENERGY SAVING BULB IF IT BREAKS?

Safety Alert Published by: WesTrac CAT

Energy Saving Bulb have been in existence for a long time now. These bulbs are more effective compared to ordinary light bulbs in terms of power consumption. We used these bulbs in order to save on electricity and ultimately the electricity bill.

These bulbs comes in different shapes and sizes in the market with different ratings in terms of voltage and or watts.

SOME HEALTH AND SAFETY ISSUES ON THESE LOW - ENERGY LIGHT BULBS
These types of bulbs if broken, cause serious danger.
* If one breaks, everybody have to leave the room for 15 minutes, because it contains mercury  (poisonous) which causes migraine, disorientation, imbalances and different other health problems when inhaled.
* It causes many people with allergies, severe skin conditions and other diseases just by touching this substance or inhaling it.
* DO NOT CLEAN the debris of the broken bulb with a vacuum cleaner, because it would spread the contamination to other rooms in the house when using the vacuum cleaner again. It must be cleaned up with a NORMAL BROOM OR BRUSH, be kept in a sealed bag and disposed of right away from the house in a bin for hazardous materials.

WARNING :

MERCURY IS MORE DANGEROUS, MORE POISONOUS THAN LEAD OR ARSENIC!

What to do if a low energy light bulb breaks be it at home or in areas where these bulbs can be found?
1. Evacuate the room, taking care not to step on the shards of glass littering the floor.
2. Do Not use vacuum cleaners to clear up the mess as the machine sucking action could spread toxic mercury droplets around the house.
3. Put on rubber gloves and sweep the debris onto the dust pan.
4. Place the remains in a plastic bag and seal it.
5. Do not put the plastic ban in a normal household bin.
6. Instead, place it in the city or municipal recycling bin for batteries which also contains mercury. Disposed it safely.
7. Try not to inhale dust from the broken bulb.

PHOTOCATALYTIC COATINGS

TITANIUM DIOXIDE - HOW IT WORKS
(Introduction to Photocatalytic Coatings)
By the Green Concept


UV-PCO (ultraviolet photocatalytic oxidation) technology was discovered over thirty years ago in Japan and is broadly described as the opposite of photosynthesis. Photocatalysis is a completely natural process in which light-either sunlight or artificial indoor light-- hits a mineral and triggers a chemical reaction that breaks up or decomposes organic matter. 

Sources of UV-A light include:

• Sunlight - UV-A light is abundantly present in direct sunlight, more than enough to power the full self-cleaning effect of Titanium Dioxide Coatings applied to the outside of buildings, fixtures and vehicles.
• Ambient Sunlight - On cloudy days, in the shade and in ambient sunlight through windows, there is also enough UV-A to trigger Titanium Dioxide Coatings's self-cleaning and odor-eliminating benefits.
• Fluorescent Light - Fluorescent lamps provide enough UV-A to make Titanium Dioxide Coatings coated surfaces very effective in eliminating odors indoors and helping to control the build up of grime.

Photocatalytic TiO₂ (titanium dioxide - a common and naturally occurring mineral safely used in paints and cosmetics) has been extensively studied and used (in Asia and Europe) for its beneficial effects in medical environments (to create self-sanitizing surfaces), as a valuable new tool in air and water treatment, as the key to producing self-cleaning windows and even in the production of smog-eating cement.


It is well documented that light energized, photocatalytic TiO₂ is a safe, non-toxic, anti-oxidant that produces hydroxyl radicals (OH-) that are remarkably effective in rapidly decomposing organic matter, including bacteria, fungi, odors and nicotine. This chemical process of photocatalysis actually converts organic matter into the harmless elements of water and carbon dioxide, which are then released into the air but in such minute quantities that their conversion is unnoticeable. The air we breath is full of water molecules but at such minute levels that we are not conscious of their presence. Moreover, because the process is a "catalytic" one, the chemistry of catalytic reactions means that the "ingredients" triggering these results are never used up in the process. Therefore, once applied to the specified surface (whether hotel room walls, carpets, upholstery or other soft good surfaces in casino areas, or HVAC ducting), the Titanium Dioxide Coatings^® products will continue to work, month after month. 


The benefits of this TiO₂ photocatalytic technology are so significant that this is the solution that Asian researchers turned to during the SARS epidemic. Research and actual hospital and medical usage of photocatalytic TiO₂ in Asia accelerated greatly during that epidemic and it is this same technology that has been adapted by Titanium Dioxide Coatings^® to completely and continuously eliminate the malodorous and harmful elements of cigarette and cigar smoke.

Titanium Dioxide Benefits

• Self-Cleaning Surfaces - Buildings and products look new and fresh for years.
• Bio Static Surfaces - Organic micro particles are oxidized. No bio film builds up.
• Odor Abating Surfaces - VOCs are oxidized and noxious smells and odors vanish.
• Lower Costs - Less maintenance & chemicals, improved IAQ, less absenteeism

Self Cleaning Surfaces

The self-cleaning benefit of photocatalytic TiO₂ is illustrated below:

• This painted cement wall was fully cleaned in 2002.
• The left side was coated with photocatalytic TiO₂.
• The right side was not.
• The photo was taken in June 2005.
• Anatase TiO₂ has visibly protected the left side of the wall with its self-cleaning photocatalytic effect for three years.

TiO₂'s super hydrophilicity or water sheeting quality promotes the self cleaning benefit - Water sheets instead of beading as shown below (The TiO₂ coated surface is on the left ):

Bio Static () Surfaces

Titanium Dioxide Coatings has been studied for its efficacy.


The National Sanitation Foundation reported on Titanium Dioxide Coatings's log 3 and log 4 (99.9% - 99.99%) reduction of gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria (e-coli and staph) at the Smart Coatings Conference of 2005


Titanium Dioxide Coatings products can be applied to virtually any surface, including buildings, signs, solar panels, sidewalks, outdoor furniture, holding tanks, boats, and planes.

Odor Abating Surfaces (Deodorization)

TioxoFresh, applied to the interior of cars and trucks, has proven to be remarkably effective in eliminating odors. 4-6 ounces of TioxoFresh, spray applied to the fabric surfaces inside a malodorous or smoke ridden car, eliminates virtually any trace of odor after 2-3 days of exposure to sunlight or ambient sunlight.

Lower Costs

"UVPCO air cleaner for gaseous contaminants may be beneficial for the large-scale treatment of air in occupied buildings and may ultimately allow for a 50% reduction of Outside Air supply in offices and other buildings as an energy conservation measure"according to a September 2005 report on UV PCO for Indoor Air Applications issued by the Indoor Environment Department of the E.O. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

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About THE GREEN CONCEPT:
The Green Concept seeks to fulfill the demand for an improved approach to better living and a cleaner environment. We collectively work with a network of engineers and scientists, through education, research, and demonstration to meet and exceed those demands.




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Suggested Reading:

Technology For Growing Plants In Space Leads To Device That Destroys Pathogens, Like Anthrax 

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2002/04/020403030627.htm

Scrubbing Bubbles Hit the Streets 

http://www.wired.com/science/planetearth/news/2005/07/68282

TITANIUM DIOXIDE : ENVIRONMENTAL WHITE KNIGHT

By LANCE FRAZER

Published in Environmental Health Perspective by The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

Titanium dioxide (TiO₂) is a potent photocatalyst that can break down almost any organic compound it touches when exposed to sunlight in the presence of water vapor. Today, companies are developing a wide range of products that seek to capitalize on TiO₂'s reactivity, including self-cleaning fabrics, auto body finishes, and ceramic tiles. Also in development is a paving stone that uses the catalytic properties of TiO₂ to remove nitrogen oxide from the air, breaking it down into more environmentally benign substances that can then be washed away by rainfall. Other experiments with TiO₂ involve removing the ripening hormone ethylene from areas where perishable fruits, vegetables, and cut flowers are stored ; stripping organic pollutants such as trichloroethylene and methyl-tert-butyl ether from water ; and degrading toxins produced by blue-green algae. It remains to be seen, however, whether the formation of undesirable intermediate products during these processes outweighs the benefits offered by TiO₂'s photocatalytic properties.

Titanium dioxide (TiO₂) is a multifaceted compound. It's the stuff that makes toothpaste white and paint opaque. TiO₂ is also a potent photocatalyst that can break down almost any organic compound, and a number of companies are seeking to capitalize on TiO₂'s reactivity by developing a wide range of environmentally beneficial products.

Tile Tales

During the late 1970s, scientists began to realize that the propensity of TiO₂ to absorb energy from the UV end of the solar spectrum and then react with water vapor to produce oxygen could be used to create surfaces that were, for all practical purposes, self-cleaning. According to Daniel Blake, principal scientist at the Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado, when TiO₂ is exposed to UV light of a wavelength below 385 nanometers in the presence of water vapor, two highly reactive substances are formed: hydroxyl radicals [OH] and a superoxide ion [O₂^-1]. Says Blake, "These are highly reactive chemical species. Hydroxyl radicals are very strong oxidizers and will attack all kinds of organic materials, including those that make up living cells."

Toto Frontier USA, based in Long Beach, California, is using TiO₂ to make self-cleaning ceramic tiles for use in hospitals, public restrooms, and other settings where cleanliness is vitally important, as well as on hard-to-reach rooftops, where simple sunlight and rainwater can help prolong the life of the roof. The tiles are made by applying a one-micron layer of TiO₂ to ceramic blanks immediately as they exit the kiln. (Toto has filed a patent for their specially developed "short fire" kiln, which makes the process more economically competitive, although Harvey Malloy, director of sales and marketing for the company, admits that the tiles still cost 10-20% more than regular ceramic tiles.) The result is a photocatalytic coating that bonds with the tile and remains in place for the normal life of the tile itself. This coating has several intriguing properties.

First, it can break down organic matter into carbon dioxide (CO₂) and water. When organic matter lands on a TiO₂-coated tile and water is applied, the hydroxyl radicals break down the cell wall and outer membrane, allowing cell contents to leak out and TiO₂ particles to enter, thereby causing cell damage and death. Hydroxyl radicals are highly reactive and thus short-lived. Superoxide ions, while longer-lived, cannot penetrate the cell membrane because of their negative charge. Therefore, both must interact immediately with the outer surface of an organism unless the TiO₂ particle has already penetrated the cell. Research at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory shows that the process works equally well on bacterial and fungal spores. Tests performed by Toto and presented at a July 2000 Air and Waste Management Association symposium indicate that the TiO₂-treated tiles achieve a 99.9% bacterial kill rate within one hour for such strains as penicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureusand Escherichia coli.

Another useful property of TiO₂ is that it is superhydrophilic--the surface of a tile treated with it attracts water rather than repelling it. In the September 1999 issue of Ceramic Industry, Malloy explained the importance of this property: "Generally, water droplets form on the surface of a ceramic tile at a contact angle of 43 degrees. These tiles are considered hydrophobic. Over time, contaminants collect on the surface of the tile in droplets and remain on the surface after the water evaporates. Water dropped on the surface of a photocatalytic superhydrophilic tile has been shown to spread and form at a contact angle of only 7 degrees in exterior applications and 25 degrees in interior applications." This means surface wetting and rinsing is more uniform; water slides under and floats away organic surface contaminants. These tiles are significantly easier to maintain in interior applications because they don't require the use of bleaches and detergents, wrote Malloy, and they allow for the creation of exterior ceramic facades and roofs that are self-cleaning with rainwater.

These surfaces are in fairly wide use throughout Japan and are being marketed in Europe as well, but they have not yet reached the U.S. market. Malloy says Toto is working on two products for the U.S. market including a self-cleaning exterior facade and interior tile surfaces. However, he says, there are regulatory roadblocks to cross first, especially for interior tile applications. "If we make the claim that the tile is antibacterial, we could be going outside of what is allowable under current Environmental Protection Agency standards," he says. Current standards require a specific kill level within a certain amount of time. TiO₂ achieves the kill level but in a longer period of time. However, while slower than an agent like alcohol or bleach, TiO₂ is also less harmful to the environment, so it would be useful where a high kill rate needs to be maintained over a long period of time.

Road Warrior

Some of the 400 miles of pavement in the Westminster borough of London may soon have a role that goes far beyond smoothing footpaths and roadways. Japan's Mitsubishi Materials Corporation has developed a paving stone it calls "Noxer" that uses the catalytic properties of TiO₂ to remove nitrogen oxide (NO_x) from the air, breaking it down into more environmentally benign substances that can then be washed away by rainwater. NO_x is produced in abundance through vehicle emissions.

The initial Noxer block design involved a 200 millimeter (mm) by 100 mm block with a 5-7 mm thick surface layer containing TiO₂ mounted on a cement mortar base to a total thickness of 60 mm. In tests by Mitsubishi, the block was set in a reaction vessel and exposed to a mixture of air and 1 part per million (ppm) NO_x to simulate vehicle emissions. A hole in the box allowed for the addition of UV light, and a variety of humidities were tested. According to Mitsubishi, when the surface of the Noxer slab is irradiated, oxygen is created, which oxidizes NO_x in the air into nitric acid ions. These ions can then be washed away by rainfall or neutralized by the alkaline composition of the concrete.

Results of these tests showed an 80% NO_x removal rate based on an intensity of UV light of 1-12 watts per square meter (W/m²) (the UV intensity of direct sunlight in summer is 20-30 W/m², compared to 1 W/m² on a cloudy winter day). The blocks functioned best under humidity conditions of 10-80%, with an inverse relationship between NO_x removal and humidity. According to Mitsubishi spokesperson Yoshihiko Murata, in use outdoors the NO_x removal rate varies depending on the concentration of NO_x in the air. The company is currently conducting tests using computer simulations of pollution and actual street measurements.

The Noxer blocks will be manufactured for testing by Marshalls (the United Kingdom's largest manufacturer of landscape, building, and drainage materials for the construction industry and domestic home improvement markets) as a concrete base topped by a one-centimeter layer of a mixture of TiO₂, zeolite, and sand, crushed quartz, or ground glass. Marshalls will use the same manufacturing processes and machinery as for their traditional products, but company PR manager Rachel Brown says, "In principle, there's no reason why the Noxer technology could not be adapted for walling, tunnels, curbs, and so on to reduce the effects of vehicular emissions in the environment." In addition to the proposed Westminster trials, Noxer blocks are also being tested in Osaka and Chiba, Japan.

"NO_x removal using TiO₂ coatings and additions to paving materials and large-scale panels on road sides and the like is a very practical approach," says Blake. "It's passive, in the sense that it relies on natural sunlight and air movement, and no lamps or fans are required; thus, it's simple to implement. Adverse effects of the system seem unlikely because the quantity of the NO_x is very low to begin with, and it's distributed over large areas."

Reynaldo Barreto, a chemistry professor at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, agrees it is an interesting idea, but, he says, "I think we'd be better off dealing with NO_x as it comes out of the exhaust. NO_x is a product of high-temperature combustion, and it's something we have to deal with one way or another. If you tried to do it in a tunnel with the proper lighting spectrum it might work, but on the pavement? Seems like a hard way to make your point."

A Fresh Application

In addition to cleansing the air outside, TiO₂ is being used to treat the air in fruit, vegetable, and cut flower storage areas to prevent spoilage and increase the products' shelf life. The Kennesaw, Georgia-based KES Science & Technology has commercialized the work of Marc Anderson, a professor of environmental engineering and materials science at the University of Wisconsin at Madison to create an enclosed system that uses the photocatalytic properties of TiO₂ to remove ethylene from the air. Ethylene is a naturally occurring gaseous growth hormone produced by plant tissue that in concentrations as low as 1 ppm triggers the ripening of fruits and vegetables. Ethylene is also produced from other sources including internal combustion engines, certain fungi, and cigarette smoke.

Originally developed for use aboard the space shuttle, the Bio-KES system breaks down ethylene into CO₂ and water. According to Anderson, the University of Wisconsin was active in producing plant growth chambers for shuttle experiments. He says, "We had to develop a way to remove the ethylene from the air because otherwise it would retard growth and spoil the plants. Conventional filtration would just remove particulates from the air, but we needed a way to break down this gaseous substance in an efficient manner while producing no hazardous by-products." The Bio-KES system has been used successfully on six shuttle missions since 1993.

The system draws air through small borosilicate tubes (4 mm in diameter by 12 mm long) that have been lined with a TiO₂ coating. Each system can handle volumes up to 10,000 cubic feet and contains 48 eight-watt UVA bulbs and six eight-watt UVC bulbs. According to KES Science & Technology, the combined action of UV light and TiO₂ oxidizes ethylene into CO₂ and water vapor at a rate of more than 32 milliliters of ethylene gas per hour. University of Wisconsin researchers are working on a treatment for the TiO₂ crystals that would accelerate the reaction by four to six times. The Bio-KES system is currently being used primarily by commercial florists. KES Science & Technology is also developing models for use in sea/land cargo containers and in truck and train transportation.

Diverse Decontaminator

Still other researchers are working on ways to use TiO₂'s properties to benefit the environment. Barreto has developed an experimental method of removing the gasoline additive methyl-tert-butyl ether (MTBE, used as an octane enhancer) from water by bubbling oxygen into the contaminated water and adding TiO₂, a process that converts both MTBE and another additive, tert-butyl alcohol, to CO₂ with a 90% efficiency rate in as little as four hours. MTBE is a potential human carcinogen, and concerns have been raised about its potential for acute effects from exposures by inhalation and long-term exposures from drinking water. Barreto's technology is still under study and has not yet been commercially developed.

Researchers at Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen, Scotland, have experimented with degrading microcystins (toxins produced by cyanobacteria that are linked with liver cancer and can cause death in immunosuppressed people) by simply stirring in TiO₂ and exposing the water to UV light. Results show a complete degradation of the toxin microcystin-LR in less than 20 minutes. Says Blake, "[This application] is quite interesting because the TiO₂ will work under ambient sunlight. This has the potential for applications where one could use solar ponds [artificially created, enclosed bodies of water that use ambient light as part of a treatment process] or other means to treat large areas or quantities of water where the processing rate didn't have to be on the order of millions of gallons a day."

Research suggests that TiO₂ may be useful in other applications to remove organic contaminants from water. In experiments at Sandia National Laboratories in which contaminated water was flowed through glass pipes lined with TiO₂ while being exposed to UV light, researchers were able to reduce concentrations of trichloroethylene (TCE) from 1.2 ppm to less than 50 parts per billion in only 5 minutes. (The project never reached commercialization, however.) Michael Prairie, a principal investigator at Sandia, was lead investigator on a number of TiO₂ research projects at Sandia in the early 1990s, including using TiO₂ to remove explosives residue from water, work that he says was eventually dropped because the kinetics were too slow or the reaction didn't reach completion. "We tried piggybacking photocatalysis with biodegradation in a two-step process and had some success there," he says, "but it just doesn't seem to work well enough on large groups of compounds. . . . And we've done some work on metals reduction using TiO₂--which seems to work best with mercury--where you could use it as a treatment or for metals recovery."

A Chink in the Armor?

One concern raised about the use of TiO₂ is the formation of potentially harmful intermediate products during the breakdown of organic substances. The 1979 report Bioassay of Titanium Dioxide for Possible Carcinogenicity NTIS# PB288780/AS (CAS No. 13463-67-7) states that TiO₂ itself shows no evidence of carcinogenicity. But Carl Koval, a chemist at the University of Colorado in Boulder, and others have raised the concern that the reactions produced by TiO₂ may create substances more dangerous than the original pollutant.

Says Koval, "When illuminated TiO₂ is used to decompose organic compounds, a large number of intermediate compounds are usually formed. In some cases, these intermediate compounds can be more hazardous than the compound being decomposed." For example, he says, the breakdown of TCE yields trichloroacetic acid (a substance almost as toxic as TCE) and, in the gaseous phase, phosgene (a chemical warfare agent). However, he says, this doesn't mean that all applications using TiO₂ would be dangerous. "In situations where this type of process was being proposed for outdoor use, I see no problems with it, because similar things occur naturally in the atmosphere, and it would be unlikely that concentrations of the hazardous chemical would reach toxic levels. . . . However, [in an indoor setting] who knows what would be formed if TiO₂ photocatalysis were used to decompose plasticizers, bacteria, and so on, and what the health effects might be from inhaling such compounds?"

Certainly there is cause for caution, agrees Anderson. "But given time and control over the process," he adds, "these daughter products do break down into environmentally benign substances, a process which can be monitored using a gas chromatograph." And, says Blake, "All oxidization processes have the potential to produce partial oxidization products. It comes down to a question of the fraction of the target compounds that are converted to the intermediate products and how much of those produced are released into the air or water. The amount released will be a function of the efficiency of the photocatalytic device and the way it is constructed and operated."

All that being said, in the realm of environmental cleanup technology is TiO₂ indeed the white knight riding to the rescue or something less? Says Blake, "There is no single technology that can address the very wide range of contamination problems in the environment. Most workers in the field recognize that the photocatalytic chemistry of TiO₂ has pluses and minuses that make it attractive for some applications and not for others. The photocatalytic chemistry of TiO₂ is very intriguing. It works in water or air, it uses light instead of heat, and it is such a simple concept. Engineering it with the right balance of economics and performance is the challenge."

Suggested Reading Top

Fujishima A, Hashimoto K, Watanabe T. TiO₂ photocatalysis: fundamentals and applications. Tokyo: BKC, Inc., 1999.

Maness PC, Smolinski S, Blake DM, Huang Z, Wolfrum EJ, Jacoby WA. Bactericidal activity of photocatalytic TiO₂ reaction: toward an understanding of its killing mechanism. Appl Environ Microbiol 65(9):4094-4098 (1999).

Malloy H. Environmentally friendly ceramic tile. Ceram Ind 149(10):37-42 (1999).

Watanabe T, Kojima E, Norimoto K, Saeki Y. Fabrication of TiO₂ photocatalytic tile and practical applications. Fourth Euro Ceramics 11:175-180 (1995).

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