Photocatalytic Destruction of Chlorinated Solvents in Water With Solar Energy

Abstract

Sandia National Laboratories and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory are developing a photocatalytic process to destroy organic contaminants in water. Tests with common water pollutants have been conducted at Sandia’s Solar Thermal Facility using a near commercial scale, single-axis tracking parabolic trough system with a glass pipe reactor mounted at its focus. Experiments at this scale provide verification of laboratory studies and allow examination of design and operation issues at a real-life scale. The catalyst, titanium dioxide (TiO2), is a harmless material found in paint, cosmetics, and toothpaste. Experiments were conducted to determine the effects of key process parameters on destruction rates of chlorinated organic compounds that are common water pollutants. In this paper, we summarize the engineering-scale results of these experiments and analyses.