Photocatalytic degradation and reactor modeling of 17α-ethynylestradiol employing titanium dioxide-incorporated foam concrete

Wang, Yuming; Li, Yi; Zhang, Wenlong; Wang, Qing; Wang, Dawei

Photocatalytic degradation and reactor modeling of 17α-ethynylestradiol employing titanium dioxide-incorporated foam concrete

2015

Wang, Yuming | Li, Yi | Zhang, Wenlong | Wang, Qing | Wang, Dawei

Photocatalytic degradation of 17α-ethynylestradiol (EE2) using TiO₂photocatalysts incorporated with foam concrete (TiO₂/FC) was investigated for the first time. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) study of the samples revealed a narrow air void size distribution on the surface of FC cubes on with 5 wt% addition of P25 TiO₂, and TiO₂particles were distributed heterogeneously on the surface of TiO₂/FC samples. The sorption and photocatalytic degradation of EE2 with UV-light irradiation by TiO₂/FC cubes were investigated. Adsorption capacity of EE2 by the TiO₂/FC and blank foam concrete (FC) samples were similar, while the degradation rates showed a great difference. More than 50 % of EE2 was removed by TiO₂/FC within 3.5 h, compared with 5 % by blank FC. The EE2 removal process was then studied in a photoreactor modified from ultraviolet disinfection pool and constructed with TiO₂/FC materials. An integrated model including a plate adsorption-scattering model and a modified flow diffusion model was established to simulate the photocatalytic degradation process with different radiation fields, contaminant load, and flow velocity. A satisfactory agreement was observed between the model simulations and experimental results, showing a potential for the design and scale-up of the modified photocatalytic reactor.

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