Photocatalytic Degradation of Algae and its By-product using Rotating Photocatalytic Oxidation Disk Reactor

Abstract

This study examined the special technique of photocatalytic degradation (RPODisk) for removal of taste and odor causing materials, algae, and algal toxin. The RPODisk was effective for removal of these troublesome contaminants. It outperformed the fixed media and the UV irradiation for geosmin removal. The RPODisk performance was comparable to the combination of the UV irradiation with TiO₂. The RPODisk performance was affected by the rotating speed. The faster the speed was, the better the performance. The RPODisk was also effective for removal of algae and algal toxin. The algal activity reduced by 80% after 30 mins of the treatment. More toxic microcystin (MC)-LR was more difficult to remove than MC-RR. The times for 50% removal were 23.7 mins for MC-LR and 14.1 mins for MC-RR. Almost 100 mins of the contact time was required to completely remove MC-LR at the rotating speed of 260 rpm.