• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.50 no.6
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• pp.952-959
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• 2012

The photocatalytic reactor was designed to have improved efficiency by enhancing a light intensity of photocatalytic reactor using a reflector coated on the surface at the outer radius of annular shaped photocatalytic reactor. The improved photocatalytic reactor performed to treat waste air containing malodor and VOC with the enhanced light intensity, of which the effect on their removal efficiency was investigated. The intensities of illumination of the improved photocatalytic reactor filled with porous silica-based media and nonporous glass bead media carrying photocatalyst were observed to increase by 28.5% and 30.1%, respectively, compared to those of photocatalytic reactor without any reflector. Using the improved photocatalytic reactor filled with porous silica-based media and nonporous glass bead media carrying photocatalyst, the removal efficiencies were enhanced by 2~3% and insignificantly, respectively. The removal efficiencies of the optimized photocatalytic reactor with reflectors, filled with porous silica-based media carrying photocatalyst, were observed to increase by 26% and 60%, compared to those of photocatalytic reactor (i.e., 19% and 53%), without any reflector, filled with nonporous glass bead media carrying photocatalyst, for hydrogen sulfide and toluene, respectively. The roughness of used reflector surface was measured to be ca. four times as big as that of a commercial mirror. However, their removal efficiencies are expected to be enhanced by increasing an light intensity resulting from lowering the roughness of used reflector coated on the improved photocatalytic reactor in the future.

• Korean Journal of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.285-290
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• 2007

This study has been numerically conducted to investigate the removal efficiency of Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) in photocatalytic micro-reactor. This study has placed emphasis on the improvements of the working condition of photocatalytic micro-reactor. The micro-reactor consists of 19 microchannels with a rectangular cross-section. For the validation of the current numerical study, a computation has been carried out to simulate an existing experimental study on the cylindrical reactor, which has shown a good agreement. The degradation characteristics with different inlet concentrations and velocities have been obtained. The current results can be used for the design of advanced photocatalytic micro-reactor.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Automotive Engineers
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.48-54
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• 2002

Since photocatalysts are activated by lights of UV wavelengths, plasma is alternatively used as a light source for a photocatalytic reactor. Light intensity generated by plasma is proportional to the surface area of catalytic material, and this, in many practical applications, is prescribed by the geometry of a plasma generator. Thus, it is crucial to increase the surface area far sufficient light intensity for photocatalytic reaction. For example, in a pack-bed type reactor, multitudes of beads are used as a substrate in order to increase the surface area. Honeycomb monolith type substrate, which has very good surface area to volume ratio, has been difficult to apply plasma as a light source due to the fact that light penetration depth through the honeycomb monolith was too short to cover sufficient area, thus resulting in poor intensity for photocatalytic reaction. In this study, nonthermal plasma generation through a photocatalytic reactor of honeycomb monolith substrate is investigated to lengthen this short penetration depth. The ceramic honeycomb monolith substrate used in this study has the same length as a three way catalyst used fur automotive applications, and it is shown that sufficient light intensity for photocatalytic reaction can also be obtained with honeycomb monolith type reactor.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.14 no.10
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• pp.5304-5309
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• 2013

The degradation of methylethylkeone(MEK) was investigated by the continuous single module photocatalytic reactor. Operational conditions were initial concentration of MEK, intensity of photon flux, and activity change according to the long time operation. The photocatalytic degradation was decreased with the increase of MEK concentration, and the degree of decrease was larger at higher flow rate. Removal efficiency of photocatalytic reactor was decreased with the increase of reactor diameter and lamp wavelength under the same residence time condition. Continuous single module photocatalytic reactor was successfully operated without any activity drop during 120hrs operation.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.51 no.1
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• pp.80-86
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• 2013

In this study, the photocatalytic reactor system equipped with photocatalyst-carrying-silica-media cartridges [photocatalytic reactor system (1)] was used to perform the treatment of waste air containing malodor and volatile organic compound (VOC). The result of its performance was evaluated and compared with that of the photocatalytic reactor system equipped with commercial photocatalyst-carrying-nonwoven filter-media cartridges [photocatalytic reactor system (2)]. In case of photocatalytic reactor system (1), at the 1st stage of run the removal efficiencies of ethanol and toluene continued to be 80% and 20%, respectively. However, unlike toluene, the removal efficiency of ethanol dropped to 40% at the end of the 1st stage of run. The removal efficiency of hydrogen sulfide decreased from 100% to 90%. At the 2nd stage of its run the removal efficiency of ethanol decreased to 10% while the removal efficiencies of hydrogen sulfide and toluene remained as same as 90% and 20%, respectively, even though the inlet load of toluene increased by factor of four. In the 3rd stage of its run, as the result of application of aluminium-coated reflector film to the inner wall of photocatalytic reactor system, the removal efficiencies of ethanol and toluene increased by 5% to be 15% and 25%, respectively. In case of photocatalytic reactor system (2), at the 1st stage of its run, the removal efficiencies of ethanol, hydrogen sulfide and toluene continued to be 10%, 97% and 100%, respectively. However, at 2nd stage of its run their removal efficiencies became 5%, 95% and 2~3%, respectively, which showed that the removal efficiencies of ethanol and hydrogen sulfide decreased insignificantly while the removal efficiency of toluene dropped significantly from the perfect elimination. Moreover, the reflector film did not affect the performance of photocatalytic reactor system (2) at all. Therefore the removal of ethanol, hydrogen sulfide and toluene by photocatalytic reactor system (2) was mainly attributed to hydrophobic adsorption of its nonwoven filter media and its extent of photocatalytic removal turned out to be negligible, compared to that of photocatalytic reactor system (1).

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.91-96
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• 2011

Limited information is available on the degradation of volatile hydrocarbons determined via the use of plate-inserted photocatalytic reactors. This has led to the evaluation of surface areas of cylindrical continuous-flow photocatalytic reactors for the degradation of three selected aromatic hydrocarbons. Three types of reactors were prepared: a double cylinder-type, a single cylindrical-type without plates and a single cylindrical-type with inserted glass tubes. According to diffuse reflectance, FTIR and X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectroscopy, the surface characteristics of a coated photocatalyst were very similar to those of raw $TiO_2$, thereby suggesting that the coated photocatalyst exhibited the same photocatalytic activity as the raw $TiO_2$. The photocatalytic degradation efficiencies were significantly or slightly higher for the single cylinder-type reactor than for the double cylinder-type reactor which had a greater catalytic surface area. However, for all target compounds, the degradation efficiencies increased gradually when the number of plates was increased. Accordingly, it was suggested that the surface area being enhanced for the plate-inserted reactor would elevate the photocatalytic degradation efficiency effectively. In addition, this study confirmed that both initial concentrations of target compounds and flow rates were important parameters for the photocatalytic removal mechanism of these plate-inserted photocatalytic reactors.

• Journal of the Korean Solar Energy Society
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.57-65
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• 2002

The photocatalytic degradation of TCE using solar energy in POFR was studied. The use of solar energy was investigated in plastic optica fiber photocatalytic reactor (POFR). In POFR, the main parameters of photocatalytic degradation of TCE were lihgt intensity, thickness of $TiO_2$-coated film on plastic fiber core, the same of total $TiO_2$-coated surface area with changed length. We studied the apparent photonic efficiency and photocatalytic degradation rate of TCE in POFR. The apparent photonic efficiency of various light intensities was decreased by an incresed intensities. The photocatalytic activities of $TiO_2$-coated optical fiber reactor system depended on the coating thickness, and total clad-stripped surface area of POF. Photocatalytic degradation of trichloroethylene ($C_2HCl_3$, TCE) in the gas-phase was elucidated by using $TiO_2$-coated plastic optical fiber reactor. In TCE degradation, in-situ FTIR measurement resulted in mineralization into $CO_2$.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.255-260
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• 2007

The photocatalytic decolorization of Rhodamine B (RhB) was studied using packed-bed reactor and immobilized $TiO_2/UV$ System. The 20 W UV-A, UV-B and UV-C lamps were employed as the light source. The effect of shape and surface polishing extent of reflector, distance between the reactor and reflector, reactor material were investigated. The results showed that the order of the initial reaction constant with reflector shape was round > polygon > W > rhombus. The optimum distance between the reactor and reflector was 2 cm. The initial reaction constant of quartz reactor was 1.46 times higher than that of tile PVDF reactor.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.46-51
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• 2005

The photocatalytic oxidation of Rhodamine B (RhB) was studied using immobilized $TiO_2$ and rotating disk photocatalytic reactor. Immobilized $TiO_2$ onto the surface of the aluminum plate was employed as the photocatalyst and two 20 W germicidal lamps and two 20 W UV-BLB lamps were used as the light source and the reactor volume was 1.0 L. The effects of parameters such as the number of rotating disk, rpm of rotating disk, the number of coating, $H_2O_2$ and photo-fenton amounts, and the concentrations of anions and cations ($NO_3{^-}$, $SO_4{^{2-}}$, $Cl^-$, $Ca^{2+}$, $Zn^{2+}$, $Na^+$) were examined.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.389-398
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• 2000

Photocatalytic removal of benzene from air was examined using titanium dioxide photocatalyst films prepared on soda lime glass(50$\times$50$\times$2 mm) by spin coating and chemical vapor deposition. For the measurement of photocatalytic reactivity titanium dioxide coated glass was placed into a batch reactor and concentration of benzene in the reactor was set to abuot 100 ppm, and then illuminated with UV. It was found that catalytic reactivity of titanium dioxide films increased with the increase of titanium dioxide film thickness and then level off beyond a certain film thickness. UV absorption by the films showed the similar trend. The formation of stoichiometric amount of carbon dioxide was confirmed by measurement of carbon dioxide concentration in the reactor. In general spin coated films revealed better photocatalytic reactivity than chemically deposited one within the experimental ranges covered in this study. Morphology and crystal structure of prepared films were investigated by XRD and SEM and they showed significant difference between spin coated films and CVD films. Highest quantum efficiency of prepared titanium dioxide photocatalyst was close to 50%.