Isovaleraldehyde elimination by UV/TiO2 photocatalysis: comparative study of the process at different reactors configurations and scales.

A proposal for scaling-up the photocatalytic reactors is described and applied to the coated catalytic walls with a thin layer of titanium dioxide under the near ultraviolet (UV) irradiation. In this context, the photocatalytic degradation of isovaleraldehyde in gas phase is studied. In fact, the removal capacity is compared at different continuous reactors: a photocatalytic cylindrical reactor, planar reactor, and pilot unit. Results show that laboratory results can be useful for reactor design and scale-up. The flowrate increases lead to the removal capacity increases also. For example, with pilot unit, when flowrate extends four times, the degradation rate varies from 0.14 to 0.38 g h(-1) mcat (-2). The influence of UV intensity is also studied. When this parameter increases, both degradation rate and overall mineralization are enhanced. Moreover, the effects of inlet concentration, flowrate, geometries, and size of reactors on the removal capacity are also studied.