Micro-structured packed bed reactors for solar photocatalysis: impacts of packing size and material on light harnessing

Author(s)

Ramos, Bruno ^[1] ; Couri, Atieh Parisi ^[1] ; Ookawara, Shinichi ^[2] ; Silva Costa Teixeira, Antonio Carlos ^[1]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Dept Chem Engn, Res Grp Adv Oxidat Proc AdOx, BR-05508010 Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[2] Tokyo Inst Technol, Sch Mat & Chem Technol, Dept Chem Sci & Engn, Meguro Ward, Tokyo 1528552 - Japan

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: PHOTOCHEMICAL & PHOTOBIOLOGICAL SCIENCES; v. 18, n. 2, p. 577-582, FEB 1 2019.
• Web of Science Citations: 0

Abstract

The application of photochemistry in larger scales relies on studies in photoreactor engineering. This report investigates the structural parameters of externally irradiated micro-structured photochemical packed bed reactors (PBRs). It reports on the impacts of the size and material of spherical packings on the reactor ability to harness incoming photons. Tubular reactors were built from borosilicate glass tubes of two outer diameters (20 and 30 mm) packed with soda-lime glass spheres of three average diameters (1.0, 3.0 and 6.0 mm), alumina spheres (6.0 mm dia.), and polished iron spheres (5.0 mm dia.). The aqueous-phase oxidation of benzoic acid by oxygen radicals generated by UV-A irradiation of nitrite ions was used as a model homogeneous photochemical reaction. It was observed that increasing the D/d(p) ratio for the narrower reactors led to improved specific yields ((Y) over tilde (3.0) mm = 1.05<(Y)overtilde>(0)), suggesting that intensification is possible in these reactors. Lastly, it was found that glass spheres can be replaced by alumina spheres with considerably little loss in the light-collection efficiency (ca. 20%), indicating an attractive pathway for fixed-bed solar photocatalysis. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 15/21421-0 - INTENSIFICATION OF SOLAR-DRIVEN PHOTOCATALYTIC PROCESSES FOR TREATMENT OF CONTAMINATED WATERS THROUGH MICRO-STRUCTURISATION OF REACTION SPACES.
• Grantee: Bruno Ramos
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• FAPESP's process: 13/50218-2 - CEPEMA - Cooperative Center of Environmental Engineering
• Grantee: Claudio Augusto Oller do Nascimento
• Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants