Abstract
Photocatalytic oxidation (PCO) air purification technology is reviewed based on the decades of research conducted by the United Technologies Research Center (UTRC) and their external colleagues. UTRC conducted basic research on the reaction rates of various volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The knowledge gained allowed validation of 1D and 3D prototype reactor models that guided further purifier development. Colleagues worldwide validated purifier prototypes in simulated realistic indoor environments. Prototype products were deployed in office environments both in the United States and France. As a result of these validation studies, it was discovered that both catalyst lifetime and byproduct formation are barriers to implementing this technology. Research is ongoing at the University of Connecticut that is applicable to extending catalyst lifetime, increasing catalyst efficiency and extending activation wavelength from the ultraviolet to the visible wavelengths. It is critical that catalyst lifetime is extended to realize cost effective implementation of PCO air purification.
Highlights
Using light to achieve clean air and water resources through photocatalytic oxidation is a goal of scientists worldwide [1,2,3]
Photocatalysis is a widely generic term that applies to chemical change enabled by photon activated catalysis
Each building whether an individual home or high-rise office building presents a unique and time-varying challenge, but if we limit ourselves to certain typical types of buildings in typical places, we can begin to define indoor air sufficiently to understand the operation of a photocatalytic air purifier
Summary
Using light to achieve clean air and water resources through photocatalytic oxidation is a goal of scientists worldwide [1,2,3]. Success depends on the air or water stream to be purified [4,5,6,7]. Center (UTRC) devoted significant resources towards this goal over the last two decades. Photocatalysis is a widely generic term that applies to chemical change enabled by photon activated catalysis. The chemical change is usually oxidation, but in some cases reduction can be effected. The catalyst is generally a metal oxide semiconductor, usually titania, with an appropriate band gap energy that allows adsorption of an ultra-violet photon to generate electron hole pairs which initiate the chemical change.
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