A modified sol-gel solution and preparation procedure was used to synthesize Titanium (IV) dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles immobilized on borosilicate beads, quartz cylinders and standard quartz microscope slides to investigate photocatalysis of pollutants in aqueous phase. The substrates were dip-coated in the sol-gel solution at a rate of 1 mL per second in an iterative process and heat treated five times each. TiO2 nanoparticles were calcined and immobilized using a controlled and fixed ramping procedure ending at 500 degree centigrade. Each TiO2 deposited coating was characterized by mass comparison, Raman-spectrometry, UV-Vis Spectrometry and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The treated substrates were inserted into a 37 mL cylindrical Teflon benchtop column reactor containing a single 255 nm Light Emitting Diode (LED) sealed onto two removable endcaps. The treated slide was inserted in the reactor wall using prefabricated slots, the beads and cylinders placed in a packed column design. Photocatalytic degradation was investigated with organic dyes recirculated in the reactor using a peristaltic pump while measuring absorbance values in real-time with a UV-Vis spectrometer. The packed bead experiment yielded the greatest degradation in a four hour period. A potassium iodide-iodate chemical actinometer was employed to determine reactor and system fluence values for each TiO2 coated substrate configuration. The beads yielded the greatest system fluence values. Electric energy per order (EEO) was calculated and determined at 1810 kWh/m3 for an idealized batch reactor.

Nano-sized TiO2 thin film synthesis and characterization on quartz slides, borosilicate beads and quartz cylinders for use in photocatalytic degradation of organic contaminants

253rd National Meeting (2017)

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