Kinetic simulation of hydrogen production reaction parameters based on TiO2 photocatalyst

Abstract

Hydrogen is a clean, efficient, and renewable energy source with significant potential to reduce greenhouse gases. Solar photocatalytic water splitting is a promising and sustainable route to produce hydrogen. Currently, the strategies to improve the efficiency of photocatalytic hydrogen production are mainly focused on the development of sustainable photocatalysts. However, the extent to which multiple working conditions affect photocatalytic hydrogen production efficiency is not yet clear. This paper established a TiO2-based photocatalytic phenomenological kinetic model and then validated it using experimental data to clarify the impact of the combined effects of various reaction conditions on the efficiency of photocatalytic hydrogen production. The effects of photocatalyst dosage, reaction temperature, sacrificial agent concentration, and other decisive parameters on TiO2-based photocatalytic hydrogen evolution performance were analyzed under light intensity of 365 nm. The optimization results revealed that the maximum STH efficiency of 5.30 % was observed, at the reaction temperature of 348.15 K and 0.25 g/L photocatalyst concentration. The model provides insights into the combined effects of different factors on photocatalytic efficiency. The identified optimal reaction conditions relationships are helpful to provide guidance for efficient designing of solar photocatalytic hydrogen evolution systems.