4 research outputs found
Photocatalytic Decomposition Of Gaseous Toluene By TiO2 Nanoparticles Coated On Activated Carbon
Volatile organic compounds are considered as a group of major
environmental pollutants and toluene is recognized as one of the
representatives. In this research, the photocatalytic activity for
toluene removal was studied over TiO2 nanoparticles embeded on
activated carbon. Laboratory-scale experiments were conducted in a
fixed-bed reactor equipped with 4 w and 8 w UV lamps (peak wavelength
at 365 nm) to determine the oxidation rates of toluene. The
photocatalyst was extensively characterized by means of Xray
diffraction and scan electronmicroscopy. Experiments were conducted
under general laboratory temperature (25ÂșC±2) while the
irradiation was provided by the UV lamps. The dependence of the
reaction rate on light intensity as well as the deactivation of the
catalyst were determined. The results indicated that the rate of the
photocatalytic process increased with increasing the intensity of UV
irradiation. Using the UV-A lamps, the decomposition rate of toluene
was 98%. The stabilized photocatalyst presented remarkable stability
(no deactivation and excellent repeatability). The catalyst could be
regenerated by UV irradiation in the absence of gas phase. The control
experiments confirmed that the photocatalytic effects of toluene onto
the TiO2 /activated carbon catalysts in the dark conditions were
negligible. Reproducibility tests proved that the photocatalytic
activity of the photocatalyst remains intact even after several
experiments of new added toluene quantities. The study demonstrated
that the TiO2 /activated carbon catalyst may be a practical and
promising way to degrade the toluene under ultraviolet irradiation