Highly thermostable anatase titania-pillared clay for the photocatalytic degradation of airborne styrene.
Airborne styrene is a suspected human carcinogen, and traditional ways of mitigation include the use of adsorption technologies (activated carbon or zeolites) or thermal destruction. These methods presenttheir own shortcomings, i.e., adsorbents need to be regenerated or replaced regularly, and relatively large energy inputs are required in thermal treatment. Photocatalysis offers a potentially sustainable and clean means of controlling such fugitive emissions of styrene in air. The present study demonstrates a new type of well-characterized, highly thermostable titania-pillared clay photocatalysts for airborne styrene decomposition in a custom-designed fluidized-bed photoreactor. This photocatalytic system is found to be capable of destroying up to 87% of 300 ppmV airborne styrene in the presence of ultraviolet (UV) irradiation. The effects of relative humidity (RH: 0 or 20%) are also studied, together with the arising physical structures (in terms of porosity and surface characteristics) of the catalysts when subjected to relatively high calcination temperatures of 1000-1200 degrees C. Such a temperature range may be encountered, e.g., in flue gas emissions (1). It is found that relative humidity levels of 20% retard the degradation efficiencies of airborne styrene when using highly porous catalysts.
Lim
Melvin
M
Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Functional Nanomaterials, University of Queensland, QLD 4072, Brisbane, Australia.
Zhou
Yan
Y
Wood
Barry
B
Wang
Lian Zhou
LZ
Rudolph
Victor
V
Lu
Gao Qing
GQ
D000327:Adsorption / Q000528:radiation effects; D000538:Aluminum Silicates / Q000737:chemistry*; D002384:Catalysis / Q000528:radiation effects; D000077215:Clay; D052918:Environmental Restoration and Remediation; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000737:chemistry; D052638:Particulate Matter / Q000737:chemistry*; D055668:Photochemical Processes / Q000528:radiation effects; D013056:Spectrophotometry, Ultraviolet; D020058:Styrene / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000528:radiation effects; D013499:Surface Properties / Q000528:radiation effects; D013696:Temperature; D014025:Titanium / Q000737:chemistry*; D014466:Ultraviolet Rays; D014961:X-Ray Diffraction
D000538:Aluminum Silicates; D052638:Particulate Matter; C009495:titanium dioxide; D020058:Styrene; D014025:Titanium; D009584:Nitrogen; D000077215:Clay