Harnessing Waste Heat from Indoor lamps for Sustainable Thermocatalytic Mineralization of Acetaldehyde using Platinized TiO₂

This study demonstrates the first reported thermocatalytic oxidation of an indoor volatile organic compound (VOC), acetaldehyde, by harnessing the waste-heat energy from indoor light sources (e.g., halogen lamps) without additional energy inputs. With an optimal Pt–TiO₂ catalyst, the designed catalyst-coated lampshade was successfully activated under waste-heat energy (∼120 °C) and achieved the complete mineralization of CH₃CHO into CO₂ (k = 0.02 min⁻¹). The catalytic activity of Pt–TiO₂ was extremely dependent on its preparation method which greatly influenced the characteristics (e.g., oxidation state and size) of Pt. The thermocatalytic oxidation mechanism of CH₃CHO over Pt–TiO₂ was investigated, which revealed that O₂ and H₂O sources play vital roles. Although Pt is an expensive noble metal, the thermocatalytic process on the Pt–TiO₂-coated lampshade without additional energy, along with its outstanding activity, can offset the high material cost. The proposed strategy offers a sustainable and feasible method for the degradation of indoor VOCs.