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Evaluation and Optimization of a Novel Immobilized Photoreactor for the Degradation of Gaseous Toluene
Author(s) -
Jafarikojour Morteza,
Sohrabi Morteza,
Royaee Sayed Javid,
Hassanvand Armineh
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
clean – soil, air, water
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.444
H-Index - 66
eISSN - 1863-0669
pISSN - 1863-0650
DOI - 10.1002/clen.201300985
Subject(s) - toluene , materials science , relative humidity , scanning electron microscope , volumetric flow rate , box–behnken design , catalysis , chemical engineering , degradation (telecommunications) , anatase , photocatalysis , response surface methodology , analytical chemistry (journal) , nuclear chemistry , composite material , chromatography , chemistry , organic chemistry , telecommunications , physics , quantum mechanics , computer science , engineering , thermodynamics
The photocatalytic degradation of toluene was studied in a newly designed continuous photoreactor. In this unit, TiO 2 was immobilized on two different shapes of stainless steel disks. Twenty‐eight disks coated with catalyst were placed alternately in the photoreactor in order to have a zigzag pattern in the gas flow along the reactor length. The structural properties of the coatings were examined using materials characterization techniques including X‐ray diffraction (XRD) and field emission scanning electron microscope. The XRD results revealed that the intensity of the peak related to the anatase phase increases with increasing the number of coatings from two to six. The response surface methodology was applied to model and optimize the photocatalytic degradation of toluene. The Box–Behnken design was employed to analyze the simultaneous effects of toluene inlet concentration (20–100 ppm), relative humidity (10–50%), flow rate of gas feed (100–500 mL/min), and TiO 2 loading (two to six times coating or catalyst loading of 0.274–0.924 g/m 2 ). The maximum predicted conversion of toluene was 61.11% at the optimum processing condition (relative humidity of 32%, catalyst loading of 0.924 g/m 2 , flow rate of 100 mL/min of gas feed, and initial toluene concentration of 20 ppm). The experimental conversion of toluene was 60% at the optimum conditions.