Photochemical Reaction Engineering

CASSANO, A.E.; ALFANO, O.M.; ROMERO, R.L.

Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems (EOLSS)

UNESCO

Año: 2012;

A brief presentation of photoreactor engineering theory is rigorously derived from chemical reaction engineering principles and radiation energy transport fundamentals. The analysis is illustrated by presenting an example of the nowadays most significant contribution of this field aimed at environmental remediation. Accordingly, the modeling of an annular reactor inside a recycle for a typical photocatalytic decomposition reaction is succinctly described. In order to formulate the photochemical reaction rate properly, the radiative transfer equation applied to participating and reactive, homogeneous and heterogeneous media is presented. The described approach provides the most important tools for mathematical modeling of photoreactions and photoreactors that permits a rigorous and practical utilization of this methodology. Thus, if and only if, well designed laboratory experimental data are obtained, an a priori scale-up procedure can be performed resorting to these concepts with no limitations in the size or shape of virtually any form of commercial applications.