A comparative photocatalytic activity of LiNbO3 and TiO2 by investigating the removal efficiency of toluene from indoor air

Abstract

The quality of the indoor environment has become a major health consideration, because air pollution can be several times higher than outdoors. Photocatalytic materials can remove air borne contaminants like, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that may toxic and harmful for human health. In this study, lithium niobate (LiNbO3) and titanium dioxide (TiO2) were used as catalyst to compare their efficiencies in degradation and absorption of toluene. Toluene was used as a model of volatile organic compound that can be found in indoor environment. Experiments were conducted in a photocatalytic test reactor, utilizing concrete blocks coated with LiNbO3 and TiO2 under UV light. Different concentrations of toluene were loaded and passed through the photocatalytic reactor and the removal efficiency of volatile organic compound was determined by GC-FID and GC-MS multi-analyzer. The findings demonstrate the stronger adsorption capacity and higher photodegradation efficiency can be achieved by LiNbO3 more than TiO2.