CONTINUOUS-FLOW PHOTOREACTOR PACKED WITH TITANIUM-DIOXIDE IMMOBILIZEDON LARGE SILICA-GEL BEADS TO DECOMPOSE OXALIC-ACID IN EXCESS WATER

A tubular continuous-flow photoreactor consisting of a pyrex glass tub e 8 mm in diameter packed with titanium dioxide photocatalyst immobili zed on 2 mm diameter silica gel beads was constructed to efficiently d ecompose water contaminants at high-flow rate. To fix titanium dioxide using sol-gel without destroying silica gel beads, the beads were exp osed to ethanol vapor and then wetted with ethanol before being dipped into the TiO2 precursor sol. Photoreactor performance was evaluated f or how it decomposed aqueous oxalic acid solution as a model contamina nt. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.