Continuous and complete conversion of high concentration p‐nitrophenol in a flow‐through membrane reactor

Abstract

AbstractHere, we report on a green and effective method for the continuous and complete conversion of high concentrations of p‐nitrophenol (PNP) using a flow‐through membrane reactor and less NaBH4. The catalytic membrane was successfully fabricated by loading Pd nanoparticles onto the surface of a branched TiO2 nanorod‐functionalized ceramic membrane. The modification with branched TiO2 nanorods can significantly improve the loading amount of Pd nanoparticles onto ceramic membranes, resulting in enhanced catalytic performance. With 6 mg of Pd, 93 L m−2 hr−1 of flux density and 8.04 cm2 of membrane surface area in the flow‐through membrane reactor, PNP at a concentration of 4,000 ppm can be converted to high‐value p‐aminophenol using less NaBH4 (using a molar ratio of NaBH4:PNP of 9.6) within 24 s at 30°C. More importantly, the conversion can be continuously and stably performed for 240 min.