The influence of 12 ionic compounds (Na2SO4, NaHCO3, Na2HPO3, NaNO3, NaCl,
MnCl2, NiCl2, CaCl2, MgCl2, AlCl3, FeCl3, and MgSO4) on performance of a fi
xed-bed photocatalytic reactor is examined. The fixed-bed photocatalyst was
developed at Michigan Technological University and comprises 1% Pt-TiO2 on
a silica-based support. The degradation of trichloroethylene (TCE) in Mill
i-Q water is used to monitor catalyst performance. All compounds are found
to inhibit photocatalysis at some or all of the concentrations tested, alth
ough only MnCl2 seems to suppress it altogether. Fouling appears to be a le
ast partially reversible. Electron microprobe analysis is employed to inves
tigate how selected fouling agents interact with the catalyst and support.