Evaluation and modeling of a newly designed impinging stream photoreactor equipped with a TiO2 coated fiberglass cloth

Abstract

The photocatalytic degradation of p-nitrophenol (PNP) using TiO₂ particles immobilized on a fiberglass cloth was investigated in a novel design of a photo-impinging stream reactor. A spray painted method has been used for the coating process. The structural properties of the immobilized sample were examined using X-ray diffraction and a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The photocatalytic degradation results showed the good performance of the reactor. The flow regime within the reactor was characterized and modeled by applying a liquid residence time distribution. A compartment model consisting of four continuous stirred regions was assigned to describe the flow pattern in the reactor. A Langmuir–Hinshelwood kinetic scheme has been used to describe the degradation of p-nitrophenol and to examine the behavior of the reaction system. A comparison between the sum of the square errors of the experimental results and those predicted by the model for PNP degradation revealed that a good agreement exists between the two sets of data.