Study on a photocatalytic membrane reactor for water purification

Abstract Some results obtained in a photocatalytic membrane reactor, to be used for degradation of toxic organic species dissolved in water, are reported. The catalyst, TiO 2 P25 Degussa, was immobilised by means of a flat sheet polymeric membrane and 4-Nitrophenol (4-NP) was used as a model molecule to evaluate the reactor performance. A preliminary investigation of the stability, under UV irradiation, of some eligible polymeric membranes was carried out by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), optical microscopy (OM), determinations of water permeation flux (WPF) and total organic carbon (TOC). These tests showed that commercial membranes made of fluoride + PP (FS 50 PP-Dow), polysulp…