Visible Light TiO2 Photocatalysts Assessment for Air Decontamination

BALLARI, M.; MINEN, R.; SALVADORES, F,; BROUWERS, H.J.H.; ALFANO, O.M.; CASSANO, A.E.

PROCESS SAFETY AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

INST CHEMICAL ENGINEERS

Año: 2016 vol. 101 p. 124 - 133

0957-5820

Different visible light responses of commercialTiO2 photocatalysts are assessed for their application in airdecontamination. To do that the modified TiO2 catalysts wereimmobilized on borosilicate glass plates according to a dip coating method. Then,the photocatalytic performance of these plates was evaluated in a continuousgas flat plate photoreactor irradiated with visible light lamps using tworepresentative air pollutants: nitrogen oxide and acetaldehyde. Working undervisible light, the modified TiO2 catalysts were compared by means ofefficiency parameters: the true quantum efficiency, which relates the moles ofdegraded pollutant with the moles of the absorbed photons, and the apparentphotonic efficiency, which relates the moles of degraded pollutant with themoles of incident photons. Also, the photocatalytic pollutants degradation byimmobilized modified TiO2 could be related with their opticalproperties, finding a clear correlation between them. These results are usefulto decide which TiO2 will be more efficient for a full scale airdecontamination process under visible light illumination.