The rates, products, and mechanisms of crude oil exposed to simulated sunlight with and without the presence of the photocatalyst (titanium dioxide) will be studied. Various amounts of TiO2 nanotubes were added to crude oil over gulf water and irradiated for 3, 6, and 12 hours. The samples were then analyzed via GC-FID, Fluorescence Spectrophotometer, UV-Vis NIR Spectrophotometer, and Microtox to determine the composition, fluorescence, absorbance, and toxicity. These results were analyzed to determine the effect of the photocatalyst on the phototransformations of the oil. The addition of 3x concentration ofnanotubes resulted in significant degradation of alkanes after 12 hours of irradiation. The toxicity of the samples increased with irradiation time. After 12 hours of irradiation, the samples with TiO2 were less toxic than the samples without photocatalyst addition. Fluorescence decreased with irradiation time, and synchronous fluorescence scans determined the decrease in fluorescence for samples according to molecule size.

Photochemical and photocatalytic transformations of crude oil in seawater systems

245th National Meeting (2013)

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