The main objective of the project is the creation of new "Green Chemistry" catalytic systems for the efficient utilisation of hazardous organic compounds.
To achieve this objective it is necessary to design a new type of biomimetic catalysts. It will be done by chemical modification of active carbon and silica gel surface with formation of active hydrophilic centres uniformly distributed in hydrophobic surroundings. It also means a necessity to develop a technique of obtaining materials with specific hydrophobic properties of surface and sufficient degree of its homogeneity.
Another major objective of the project is the catalytic process design and investigation of catalysts in the environmentally friendly utilisation of hazardous organic substances. The catalytic reactions have been selected for studying because of their environmental and practical importance (conversion of a fumigant - carbon disulphide, synthesis of MTBE and MTAE which are used as a high octane additive to petrol, dehydrohalogenation of haloid alkanes, hydrogen sulfide and hydrogen oxidation as indicate reaction).

The main steps of the research program decision are:
synthesis: synthesis and treatment of supports (various types of active carbon and silica gel);
hydrophobization of carriers surface, creating of hydrophilic active centres on the hydrophobic surface, supporting of d-metals on hydrophilic active centres of carriers;
surface characterisation: investigation of texture characteristic of samples, study of thermodynamic properties of samples with respect to various adsorbates, surface investigation of initial and modified samples with modern physical methods;
catalytic activity investigation: study of CS2 hydrolysis and MTBE and MTAE synthesis, study of hydrogen and H2S and mercaptanes oxidation, study of halogenalkanes hydrodeclrorination.

The most important scientific results expected from this project are:
new preparation procedure for carriers with a completely hydrophobic surface will be devised;
novel catalytic systems based on carriers with active hydrophilic centres uniformly distributed in hydrophobic surroundings will be created;
methods of control for obtaining active centres with a specified size and structure will be created;
the kinetic parameters of catalytic processes dependence of surface hydrophobicity, active centre structure, adsorption properties of the carriers will be obtained for each catalyst system;
based on the obtaining relationship, criteria for optimal catalytic systems for Green Chemistry processes which involved organic molecules will be found.