Search results for "Photocatalysis."

TiO2-H3PW12O40 binary solids prepared in different conditions: a comparison of their photocatalytic activity

2010

Photocatalysis in dimethyl carbonate green solvent: degradation and partial oxidation of phenanthrene on supported TiO2

2014

Dimethyl carbonate (DMC) is here proposed – for the first time – as a green organic solvent for photocatalytic synthesis. In this work, the photocatalytic partial oxidation of phenanthrene in dimethyl carbonate (DMC) by using anatase TiO2 as the photocatalyst is described as paradigmatic example of a green synthetic process starting from polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). For comparison, the same reaction carried out also in ethanol, 1-propanol or 2-propanol is reported. The use of DMC as the solvent allowed us to achieve 19% and 23% selectivity towards 9-fluorenone and 6H-benzo[c]chromen- 6-one, respectively. The proposed approach may represent both a new green synthetic process and …

Nanostructured anatase TiO2 densified at high pressure as advanced visible light photocatalysts

2015

This study reports on characterization and photoactivity of nanostructured TiO2 samples, which have been permanently densified under high pressures, up to 2.1 GPa. Commercial Mirkat 211 anatase has been used as a benchmark sample, in order to investigate the effect of unidirectional high pressure on structural, optical and photocatalytic properties of TiO2. Vibrational Raman spectroscopy shows that the treatment does not cause transitions among the different crystalline phases of titanium dioxide. UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectra reveal that increasing pressure gives rise to a shift of the absorption onset towards higher wavelength enhancing the photoactivity under visible radiation. Samp…

N-Doped Anatase/Rutile Photocatalysts for the Synthesis of Aromatic Aldehydes Under Ultraviolet and Solar Irradiation

2015

N-doped anatase/rutile photocatalysts were prepared by a sol-gel method, using TiCl4 as TiO2 precursor and urea as N-dopant source. The catalysts required a thermal treatment at temperature higher than 300 degrees C to achieve actual nitrogen doping; this treatment also allowed obtaining crystalline and hydrophobic samples. Moreover, nitrogen doping modified the surface of samples by increasing the anatase to rutile phase ratio and hydrophilicity. The catalysts were characterized by BET specific surface area, XRD, ESEM, TGA, FT-IR, DRS and XPS measurements, with particular attention to the assessment of the N-doping effect. It was found that XPS analysis should be used together with DRS and…

Photodegradation of pharmaceutical drugs in aqueous TiO2 suspensions: mechanism and kinetics

2007

WOS: 000251165800003

Selectivity of hydroxyl radical in the partial oxidation of aromatic compounds in heterogeneous photocatalysis

2007

Abstract The photocatalytic oxidation of different benzene derivatives has been investigated in order to understand how the substituent group affects the selectivity to hydroxylated compounds. Experimental runs were performed by using TiO2 (Merck) aqueous suspensions at natural pH irradiated by near-UV light. The organic molecules used as substrate contained an electron withdrawing group (EWG) (nitrobenzene, cyanobenzene, benzoic acid, 1-phenylethanone), an electron donor one (EDG) (phenol, phenylamine, N-phenylacetamide) or both an EWG and an EDG (4-chlorophenol). The results clearly indicated that the primary photocatalytic oxidation of aromatic compounds containing an EDG gives rise main…

Advances in selective conversions by heterogeneous photocatalysis

2010

Selective photocatalytic conversions are offering an alternative green route for replacing environmentally hazardous processes with safe and energy efficient routes. This paper reports the most recent advances in the application of heterogeneous photocatalysis to synthesize valuable compounds by selective oxidation and reduction.

Formation of high added value chemicals by photocatalytic treatment of biomass

2020

The depletion of fossil fuel requires the search for alternative renewable feedstock and environmentally friendly methods for the production of high value-added compounds and fuels. In this context, the efficient use of biomass has emerged as a significant research field as it represents an alternative green and renewable carbon source. Various technologies have been explored for this purpose and heterogeneous photocatalysis represents a valid alternative to the catalytic methods since it can be carried out under mild experimental conditions without the addition of harmful oxidizing agents. Different biomass components have been used as the starting materials, and many valuable chemicals h…

Photocatalytic process intensification by coupling with pervaporation

2011

The integration of photocatalysis with a membrane separation process, in particular pervaporation, permits the recovery of valuable intermediate compounds (aromatic aldehydes) while they are produced avoiding their further degradation in the reactive ambient. In this way the yield and the conversion are enhanced. The coupling of the two processes is straightforward and the integration is complete even maintaining pervaporation and photocatalysis in two separate apparatuses provided that the process stream is continuously recycled at a sufficiently high flow rate. Additional advantages are: higher degree of purification of the aldehyde in the powder-free product stream, semicontinuous produc…

Photocatalytic inactivation of Legionella Pneumophila and aerobic bacteria consortium in water over TiO2/SiO2 fibres in a continuous reactor

2005

A continuous photoreactor, working in a total recycle mode and irradiated by a low-pressure Hg lamp, has been used to study the bactericidal effect of a photocatalyst, formed by TiO2 embedded in SiO2 fibres, on Legionella pneumophila and a consortium of common gram-negative aerobic bacteria: (Escherichia coli, Klebsiella sp., Pseudomona sp. and Proteus sp.) in water. The kinetic modeling of the inactivation process, carried out with the measured values of viable bacteria concentration at the outlet of photoreactor, evidenced that for each pass inside the photoreactor the ratio between the outlet and inlet cell concentrations was of order of 0.01 for the inactivation of L. pneumophila. For t…