Performance improvement of TiO2 supported on adsorbents for photocatalytic degradation of MEK in air

Abstract

Photocatalytic degradation of Methyl Ethyl Ketone (MEK) was carried out in gas phase using TiO2 supported on different adsorbents. Based on size and surface area, three different adsorbents, montmorillonite, β-zeolite and MCM-41 were tested. A fluidised bed annular photoreactor fitted with either 254 or 365 nm lamps was used for the photodegradation studies. The removal rates of MEK were higher for the catalysts supported on the adsorbent as compared to bare TiO2 (Degussa P25 and sol-gel TiO2) due to both improved adsorption and photocatalytic degradation. The photocatalytic activity of the supported TiO2 was maximum around 50 wt.% loading of TiO 2. Among all the adsorbents tested, montmorillonite showed better removal rate than MCM-41 and β-zeolite. Some limited experiments were conducted with Trichloroethylene (TCE) to evaluate the effect of polarity of the organic compound on overall degradation using the supported catalysts. Copyright © 2008 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.