Annual Report 2006 - Plataforma Solar de Almería

ENVIRONMENTAL APPLICATIONS OF SOLAR ENERGY
4.3 Gas Phase Detoxification Group
The main objective of this group is the development of efficient systems for
the treatment of polluted air streams using preferentially solar radiation as
energy source. Although adsorbents and combustion catalysts have been also
used for this purpose, the group activities are focused on the development of
photocatalytic processes for air purification. In this way, the design of most
efficient supported photocatalyst constitutes one of the major priorities of this
research. Regarding the nature of the pollutants a significant effort has been
devoted to the abatement of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and inorganic
molecules toxic and malodorous like H 2 S, but the inactivation of airborne microorganisms
is also approached. Therefore, the results obtained in these investigations
are aimed to provide solutions for the problems of both industrial
and workshops emissions and the indoor air quality.
4.3.1 Development of alternative preparation methods for
high-efficiency photocatalytic materials
Participants: CIEMAT (PSA-DER) and ICP-CSIC (Spain).
Contact:
Funding:
Dr. B. Sánchez; benigno.sanchez@ciemat.es
MCYT Spanish Ministry of Science and Technology. Total project
funding: 75 k€ (Jan. 2005 – Dec. 2007).
Background: Gas treatment requires photocatalysts fixed on a substrate
shaped as open structures, which allow treating high flow rates without dragging
the photoactive components. In addition, the support should be transparent
to the UVA radiation used for activation of the photocatalyst in order to
make the most effective use of incident photons. However, available photocatalysts
do not fulfill all these requirements.
Purpose: The aim of this project is to satisfy the growing demand for versatile
high-activity supported photocatalysts for the efficient elimination of air pollutants
like Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). Novel TiO 2 -film photocatalysts
(formed by anatase or anatase-rutile mixtures), and other semiconductors
such as SnO 2 or ZrO 2 and noble metals will be supported on substrates
different compositions and morphologies (ceramic, metallic, polymeric).
TiO 2 will be synthesized by a sol-gel procedure which guaranties lowtemperature
formation of anatase nuclei, and consequently, at a temperature
Figure 4.11 Some examples of the supports used to deposit TiO 2 on A) borosilicate
glass tubes; B) polymeric monoliths
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