Photocatalyzed N-demethylation and degradation of methylene blue in titania dispersions exposed to concentrated sunlight

Abstract

S imulated wastewaters that con tain methylene blue (MB) were bleached in a photocatalytic aqueous TiO2 dispersion illuminated by concentrated sunlight using a parabolic round concentrator reactor (PRCR). The kinetic analysis was carried out well when the temporal concentration variation was a function of the concentrated light energy irradiated. The p hotocatalyzed N-demethylation of MB takes place concurrently with photocatalytic decomposition of MB by pseudo- first-order kinetics. The dependence of the photo- decomposition kinetics on the initial concentration of MB is consistent with the Langmuir– Hinshelwood model. Elimination of TOC (total organic carbon) also occurs by pseudo- first-order kinetics prior to full bleaching of the aqueous TiO2 dispersion, after which the TOC level decreases only slightly. Also, compared with the open to air, the photodegradation of MB is not influenced by molecular oxygen bubbl ing continuously through the reactant suspensions during illumination . TiO2 loadings and flow rates markedly a ffect the degradation o f MB. Under concentrated sunlight, t he relative photonic efficiency of MB photodegradation i s ζrel=0.49 (relative to phenol) . T he efficiency ζrel for the degradation of MB is independent of photoreactor geometry (cylindrical bottle reactor versus round-bot tomed flask), of light sources (solar light concentrator versus a Hg lamp) and of the operating mode used (flow versus batch operation).