Performance of Nonconcentrating Solar Photocatalytic Oxidation Reactors: Part II—Shallow Pond Configuration

A solar photocatalytic oxidation facility has been fabricated in which the destruction of 4-chlorophenol (4CP) is tested in three adjacent shallow pond reactors. Each of the reactors has depths of 5.1, 10.2, and 15.3 cm (2, 4, and 6 in.), respectively. It is found that 4CP is successfully oxidized with the photocatalyst, titanium dioxide (TiO₂), suspended in a slurry or adhered to a fiberglass mesh. The pond reactors, however, perform better with the slurry. It has also been found that the first-order rate constant for oxidation of 4CP increases with decreasing initial concentration. For the same incident ultraviolet (UV) intensity, catalyst loading, and initial solute concentration, the oxidation rate of 4CP is invariant provided the aperture to volume ratio is fixed. It has been determined that the 4CP solution contains sufficient dissolved oxygen to support the photocatalytic oxidation process. Direct evidence is provided to demonstrate that the utilization of photons in the photocatalytic process becomes less efficient as the number of incident photons on the catalyst increases.