Photocatalytic degradation of trichloroethylene in the gas phase using titanium dioxide pellets

The photoassisted catalytic degradation of trichloroethylene (TCE) in the gas phase was studied in a packed bed reactor using TiO2 pellets. The pellets (size, 0.3–1.6 mm) were prepared by sol—gel techniques. Porosities of 50%–56% and specific surface areas of 160–194 m2 g−1 were obtained for TiO2 sintered at 300°C. The apparent quantum yield for the conversion of TCE was estimated to be in the range 0.4–0.9. A single pass at 300 ml min−1 using four 4 W fluorescent black lights and 0.56 g of TiO2 pellets reduced the TCE concentration from 460 ppm in the influent stream to 3 ppm in the effluent stream, i.e. a 99.3% conversion of TCE.