Highly thermostable anatase titania-pillared clay for the photocatalytic degradation of airborne styrene

Environ Sci Technol. 2009 Jan 15;43(2):538-43. doi: 10.1021/es8024726.

Abstract

Airborne styrene is a suspected human carcinogen, and traditional ways of mitigation include the use of adsorption technologies (activated carbon or zeolites) or thermal destruction. These methods presenttheir own shortcomings, i.e., adsorbents need to be regenerated or replaced regularly, and relatively large energy inputs are required in thermal treatment. Photocatalysis offers a potentially sustainable and clean means of controlling such fugitive emissions of styrene in air. The present study demonstrates a new type of well-characterized, highly thermostable titania-pillared clay photocatalysts for airborne styrene decomposition in a custom-designed fluidized-bed photoreactor. This photocatalytic system is found to be capable of destroying up to 87% of 300 ppmV airborne styrene in the presence of ultraviolet (UV) irradiation. The effects of relative humidity (RH: 0 or 20%) are also studied, together with the arising physical structures (in terms of porosity and surface characteristics) of the catalysts when subjected to relatively high calcination temperatures of 1000-1200 degrees C. Such a temperature range may be encountered, e.g., in flue gas emissions (1). It is found that relative humidity levels of 20% retard the degradation efficiencies of airborne styrene when using highly porous catalysts.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adsorption / radiation effects
  • Aluminum Silicates / chemistry*
  • Catalysis / radiation effects
  • Clay
  • Environmental Restoration and Remediation
  • Microscopy, Electron, Scanning
  • Microscopy, Electron, Transmission
  • Nitrogen / chemistry
  • Particulate Matter / chemistry*
  • Photochemical Processes* / radiation effects
  • Spectrophotometry, Ultraviolet
  • Styrene / chemistry*
  • Styrene / radiation effects
  • Surface Properties / radiation effects
  • Temperature*
  • Titanium / chemistry*
  • Ultraviolet Rays
  • X-Ray Diffraction

Substances

  • Aluminum Silicates
  • Particulate Matter
  • titanium dioxide
  • Styrene
  • Titanium
  • Nitrogen
  • Clay