Effects of inorganics on the degradation of micropollutants with vacuum UV (VUV) advanced oxidation.

This research focused on the effects of inorganic water constituents on the efficiency of vacuum UV (VUV) for the degradation of micropollutants in surface water supplies. Atrazine was used as a model miropollutant, and bicarbonate, sulphate, and nitrate were used as the most common inorganic constituents in the water matrix. First, the absorbance of radiation at 254 and 185 nm was measured in the presence of different ions.

Novel Collimated Beam Setup to Study the Kinetics of VUV-Induced Reactions.

Vacuum UV (VUV) process is an incipient advanced oxidation process, which can be used for water treatment. This process relies on the formation of hydroxyl radicals through the VUV-induced photolysis of water. In particular, the use of ozone-generating mercury vapor lamps, which emit 10% of the radiation at 185 nm and 90% at 254 nm, is showing very promising results for the degradation of micropollutants.

Experimental study of the degradation of 2,4-D induced by vacuum-UV radiation.

Vacuum-UV (VUV) photoinduced degradation of the herbicide 2,4-D was studied. A flow-through VUV photoreactor was used (i) in batch mode to study the kinetics of degradation and (ii) in continuous mode under steady state to analyze the potential utilization of this process in commercial applications. In both cases, the reactants were recycled to minimize diffusive resistances.

Degradation of natural organic matter in surface water using vacuum-UV irradiation.

The use of vacuum-UV (VUV) radiation to degrade natural organic matter (NOM) and the main variables affecting the efficiency of this process were investigated using an annular photoreactor. After 180 min of irradiation with VUV, the total organic carbon (TOC) decreased from 4.95 ppm to 0.

Novel composite photocatalyst made of TiO(2) nanoparticles.

A novel photocatalyst based on TiO(2) nanoparticles was developed for application in fluidised bed photocatalytic reactors for water treatment. The mechanically robust photocatalyst consists of composite spheres made of TiO(2) nanoparticles and TiO(2) commercial powder. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and specific surface area analysis (BET) were used to characterise the catalyst.