Photocatalytical degradation of toluene and cyclohexane using LED illumination

Abstract

A sol-gel process followed by hydrothermal reaction was used to prepare coupled WO3-TiO2 photocatalysts with varying amounts of WO3 in respect to TiO2 (3 mol% and 5 mol% respectively). Additionally, photocatalysts have been subjected to different calcination temperatures of 400ºC and 800ºC, which allowed us to compare how these affect photodegradation efficiency. Photocatalysts were characterized under a scanning electron microscope, x-ray diffraction, and by measuring BET surface area. Photocatalytic tests have been carried out following the degradation of toluene and cyclohexane in the gas phase under LED UV light (375 nm). Elevated calcination temperature turned to enhance photocatalytical efficiency of coupled WO3-TiO2 while degrading the model pollutant cyclohexane. It was demonstrated that light emitting diodes (LEDs) can be used effectively as a source of illumination in photoreactors, sufficient to obtain 90% compound elimination from the air during 15 minutes of illumination while applying a wellmatched photocatalyst.