Removal of Toluene Using UV-Irradiated and Nonthermal Plasma–Driven Photocatalyst System
Publication: Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 136, Issue 11
Abstract
The removal of toluene using ultraviolet (UV)-irradiated and nonthermal plasma (NTP)-driven photocatalysts system was investigated. Results indicated that the combination of photocatalyst with NTP (NTP-driven photocatalyst) had much higher toluene removal efficiency (TRE) and better photocatalyst durability, compared with UV-irradiated photocatalysis. The TRE was proportional to ozone consumption rate in the NTP-driven photocatalyst system, in which catalytic ozonation played a vital role in toluene decomposition. Its mechanism of toluene destruction differed from that of photocatalytic oxidation. The active oxygen from catalytic ozone decomposition was the dominant active species in the NTP-driven photocatalyst system.
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Acknowledgments
The writers gratefully acknowledge the financial support from the National Key High Technology Research and Development Program of China (Grant No.UNSPECIFIED 2006AA06A310), the Ph.D. Programs Foundation of Ministry of Education of China (Grant No. UNSPECIFIED20070561042), and the CRCG of the University of Hong Kong (Grant No. UNSPECIFIED200907176159).
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© 2010 ASCE.
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Received: Oct 28, 2009
Accepted: May 17, 2010
Published online: May 19, 2010
Published in print: Nov 2010
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