Degradation of Volatile Hydrocarbons Using Continuous-Flow Photocatalytic Systems with Enhanced Catalytic Surface Areas

Limited information is available on the degradation of volatile hydrocarbond determinded via the use of plate-inserted photocatalytic reactors. This has led to the evaluation of surface areas of cylindrical continuous-flow photocatalytic reactors for the degreadation of three selected aromatic hydrocarbons. Three types of reactors were prepared: a double cylinder-type, a single cylinderical-type without plates and a single cylinderical-type with inserted glass tubes. Accordign to diffuse reflectance, FTIR and X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectroscopy, the surface chracteristics of a coated phototcatalyst were very similar to those of raw TiO2, thereby suggesting that the coated photocatalyst exhibited the same cylinder-type reactor than for the double cylinder-type reactor which had a greater catalytic surface area. However, for all target compounds, the degradation efficiencies increased gradually when the number of plates was increased. Accordingly, it was suggested that the surface area being enhanced for the plate-inserted reactor would elevate the photocatalytic degradation efficiency effectively. In addition, this study confirmed that both initial concentrations of target compounds and flow rates were important parameters for the photocatalytic removal mechanism of these plate-inserted photocatalytic reactors. Limited information is available on the degradation of volatile hydrocarbond determinded via the use of plate-inserted photocatalytic reactors. This has led to the evaluation of surface areas of cylindrical continuous-flow photocatalytic reactors for the degreadation of three selected aromatic hydrocarbons. Three types of reactors were prepared: a double cylinder-type, a single cylinderical-type without plates and a single cylinderical-type with inserted glass tubes. Accordign to diffuse reflectance, FTIR and X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectroscopy, the surface chracteristics of a coated phototcatalyst were very similar to those of raw TiO2, thereby suggesting that the coated photocatalyst exhibited the same cylinder-type reactor than for the double cylinder-type reactor which had a greater catalytic surface area. However, for all target compounds, the degradation efficiencies increased gradually when the number of plates was increased. Accordingly, it was suggested that the surface area being enhanced for the plate-inserted reactor would elevate the photocatalytic degradation efficiency effectively. In addition, this study confirmed that both initial