Experimental and Modeling Study of Photoreactor Packed with GQDs/BiOCl-Coated Glass Beads for Enhancing NO Removal

A novel packed-glass-bead photoreactor (PGBR) employing GQDs/BiOCl catalysts, featuring a NO photodegradation efficiency 1.6 times greater than that of the flat plate reactor (FPR), was developed. The effects of the catalyst dosage, glass bead size, initial NO concentration, and residence time on NO removal in the PGBR were systematically investigated. Under optimal conditions, the NO removal efficiency reached 94.0% within 30 min. In addition, PGBR exhibited excellent durability and regeneration properties. More importantly, the PGBR achieved a NO degradation efficiency of 94.3% under natural sunlight. The kinetic parameters determined using the particle swarm optimization algorithm in a simple FPR were utilized to model the complex PGBR through CFD simulations. The RMSE value between the corrected model results and the experimental data was 3.88%. The resolved velocity and concentration fields revealed an enhanced mass transfer effect in the PGBR. In summary, the proposed PGBR demonstrated promising potential for industrial applications.