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Performance of a photo‐impinging streams reactor for the phenol degradation process
Author(s) -
Royaee Sayed Javid,
Sohrabi Morteza,
Soleymani Faezeh
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
journal of chemical technology and biotechnology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.64
H-Index - 117
eISSN - 1097-4660
pISSN - 0268-2575
DOI - 10.1002/jctb.2487
Subject(s) - photocatalysis , phenol , degradation (telecommunications) , catalysis , pollutant , nozzle , mass transfer , chemical engineering , continuous reactor , chemistry , light intensity , process (computing) , photochemistry , materials science , environmental science , process engineering , chromatography , organic chemistry , computer science , thermodynamics , telecommunications , physics , optics , operating system , engineering
BACKGROUND: Photocatalysis is one of the advanced oxidation processes that has gained in importance over recent years owing to its ability to decompose a wide range of organic and inorganic pollutants at ambient temperature and pressure. However, there are two essential issues regarding photocatalytic processes, i.e. limitations on photon transfer and on mass transfer. In the present study, a novel photo‐impinging streams reactor, which can minimize such limitations, has been utilized in the photocatalytic degradation of phenol. The design and operating parameters such as type of nozzle, flow rate, catalyst loading, pH, initial phenol concentration and light intensity were found to have the expected impact on the efficiency of the process. The effects of two different co‐oxidants, H 2 O 2 and Na 2 S 2 O 8 on the photocatalysis were also examined. RESULTS: Results indicated that 100 mg L −1 of phenol in a 750 cm 3 solution was completely degraded within 2.5 h reaction time in the presence of TiO 2 without a co‐oxidant present; and within 1 h in the presence of a co‐oxidant. CONCLUSION: A comparison between the current data and those available in the literature revealed higher efficiency and increased performance of the present reactor relative to conventional apparatus. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry