Abstract

SILVA, F.V.; LANSARIN, M.A.  and  MORO, C.C.. A Comparison of slurry and inmobilized TiO₂ in the photocatalytic degradation of phenol. Lat. Am. appl. res. [online]. 2012, vol.42, n.3, pp.275-280. ISSN 0327-0793.

The photocatalytic degradation of phenol was studied using slurry and immobilized TiO₂ as catalysts in order to compare the specific reaction rate constants, k_s and k_p. Losses from phenol evaporation, the time necessary to reach adsorption equilibrium, irradiation effects and photolysis rates were quantified. k_s was determined under rate-optimizing operating conditions, and k_p was determined using the amount of immobilized catalyst mass that gave the maximum pollutant degradation rates. k_s was two times larger than k_p when the calculations were made on catalyst mass basis. Experiments performed to study catalyst deactivation showed that k_p was approximately one-half of its initial value after 18 hours of phenol photodegradation. Also, among the photocatalytic degradation reactions of rhodamine B, tetracycline and phenol, the ratio of k_s to k_p was between 2.1 and 5.3 when the calculations were made on catalyst mass basis.

Keywords : Phenol; Rhodamine B; Tetracycline; Photocatalysis; TiO₂.

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