Apparatus for decoupled thermo-photocatalytic pollution control

• US 6,551,561 B1
• Filed: 02/15/2001
• Issued: 04/22/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: University of Central Florida (State University System of Florida)
• Original Assignee: University of Central Florida (State University System of Florida)
• Inventors: Martin, Eric, Tabatabaie-Raissi, Ali, Muradov, Nazim Z.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Nam
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nicolas, Wesley A.
• Application Number:
  US09/784,602
• Time in Patent Office: 796 Days
• Field of Search: 422/186, 422/186.3, 422/209, 210/748, 210/763, 423/213.7
• US Class Current: 422/186
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2255/802 Photocatalytic
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/885 Devices in general for catalytic purification of waste gases
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 19/123 Ultraviolet light
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 19/28 Moving reactors, e.g. rotary drums B01J19/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 21/06 Silicon, titanium, zirconium or hafnium; Oxides or hydroxides thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 21/063 Titanium; Oxides or hydroxides thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00015 Scale-up
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00191 Control algorithm
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/0877 Liquid
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/0879 Solid
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/0892 involving catalytically active material
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/1946 conical
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 35/30 characterised by their physical properties
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 35/39 Photocatalytic properties
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 35/58 Fabrics or filaments
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 8/10 moved by stirrers or by rotary drums or rotary receptacles or endless belts
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/02 by heating methods of steam generation F22B; preheating boiler feed-water or accumulating preheated boiler feed-water F22D
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/325 Irradiation devices or lamp constructions
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/38 by centrifugal separation
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/725 by catalytic oxidation
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2201/3223 : Single elongated lamp located on the central axis of a turbular reactor
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2201/328 : Having flow diverters (baffles)
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2305/10 : Photocatalysts
• CPC Class Codes: Y02W 10/37 : using solar energy

Abstract

A new method for design and scale-up of photocatalytic and thermocatalytic processes is disclosed. The method is based on optimizing photoprocess energetics by decoupling of the process energy efficiency from the DRE for target contaminants. The technique is applicable to photo-thermocatalytic reactor design and scale-up. At low irradiance levels, the method is based on the implementation of low pressure drop biopolymeric and synthetic polymeric support for titanium dioxide and other band-gap media. At high irradiance levels, the method utilizes multifunctional metal oxide aerogels and other media within a novel rotating fluidized particle bed reactor.

Claims

1. A photocatalytic and thermocatalytic pollution control system, comprising:

means for producing a target pollutant having a varying flow rate;

a photocatalytic and thermocatalytic reactor having at least one light-heat source; and

a loosely positioned photocatalytic and thermocatalytic media in the reactor for forming a fluidized bed, the fluidized bed for converting the varying flow rate target pollutant that passes through the reactor to a selected level of destruction and removal efficiency(DRE).

2. The photocatalytic and thermocatalytic pollution control system of claim 1, further comprising:

means for rotating the fluidized bed about the at least one light-heat source.

3. The photocatalytic and thermocatalytic pollution control system of claim 1, wherein the light source includes:

a high flux lamp source.

4. A photocatalytic and thermocatalytic pollution control system, comprising:

means for producing a target pollutant having a varying flow rate;

a first reactor having at least one photocatalytic media and at least one light source, wherein the at least one photocatalytic media and the at least one light source include;

a low flux light source with organic polymer substrate adapted to operate below a sol-gel processing temperature, and a high flux lamp source with loosely positioned photocatalytic media that forms a fluidized bed, the fluidized bed for converting a target pollutant that passes through the photocatalytic media to a first selected level of destruction and removal efficiency(DRE); and

a second reactor having at least one thermocatalytic media and at least one heat source for converting the target pollutant that passes through the at least one thermocatalytic media to a second selected level of destruction and removal efficiency (DRE).

5. A low flux and high flux photocatalytic pollution control system, comprising:

means for producing a target pollutant having a varying flow rate; and

a least one reactor having at least one photocatalytic media with both a high flux and low flux light source, wherein the at least one photocatalytic media includes at least one of;

an organic polymer substrate adapted to operate below a sol-gel processing temperature, and loosely positioned photocatalytic media forming a fluidized bed, the one photocatalytic media for converting the varying flow rate target pollutant that passes through the at least one reactor to a selected level of destruction and removal efficiency(DRE).

6. The low flux and high flux photocatalytic pollution control system of claim 5, wherein the one photocatalytic media includes:

the organic polymer substrate adapted to operated below the sol-gel processing temperature.

7. The low flux and high flux photocatalytic pollution control system of claim 5, wherein the one photocatalytic media includes:

the fluidized bed.

8. The low flux and high flux photocatalytic pollution control system of claim 5, wherein the at least one reactor includes:

a single reactor having a single low flux and high flux activated photocatalytic media.

9. The low flux and high flux photocatalytic pollution control system of claim 5, wherein the at least one reactor includes:

a single reactor having a single low flux and a single high flux activated photocatalytic media.

10. The low flux and high flux photocatalytic pollution control system of claim 9, wherein the low flux photocatalytic media and the high flux photocatalytic media are in series to one another.

11. The low flux and high flux photocatalytic pollution control system of claim 9, wherein the low flux photocatalytic media and the high flux photocatalytic media are in parallel to one another.

12. The low flux and high flux photocatalytic pollution control system of claim 5, wherein the at least one reactor includes:

two reactors in series to one another.

13. The low flux and high flux photocatalytic pollution control system of claim 5, wherein the at least one reactor includes:

two reactors in parallel to one another.