Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) represent a wide class of dangerous pollutants. Here, a new gas-flow photoreactor coated with a thermoplastic TiO₂-based nanocomposite is developed and used in the solar-triggered photocatalytic degradation of common VOCs. The peculiar design of the reactor combined with the features of the coating nanosystem provides a cheap and efficient way to boost the abatement of VOCs.

Abstract

Industrial development and urbanization have increased the emission of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) into the atmosphere, causing environmental and health risks. Several approaches are used for their abatement, including chemical, thermo- and photo-catalytic oxidations, but they are not fully satisfactory. In this work, a thermoplastic TiO₂-based photo-catalyst was used as a coating layer of a glass-reactor. Solar-triggered photocatalytic degradation of ethanol, toluene, and acetone (used as model VOCs) highlights the better performance of the coated photoreactor than that of TiO₂ nanopowder. The influence of the pollutant flow rate on the photodegradation performance of the system was also investigated, revealing an inverse relationship between degradation and flow rates. The experimental data suggest that our approach provides a cost-effective and efficient way to boost the abatement of VOCs, useful for further industrial-scale applications. The morphology and the compositional homogeneity of the nanocomposite coating were addressed through Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy coupled with Energy Dispersive X-ray Analysis.