The '2000 prizes for innovative techniques for the environment.' Air processing: Deodorizing gaseous effluent by photochemistry
Résumé
A poster at Pollutec 2000 (Lyons 10/20/2000) which won an Info Chimie Magazine prize for innovative techniques for the environment is provided. Photooxidation of VOC over a mixed catalyst led to products only weakly toxic and without odor. The process is efficient and cost effective since the reactive agent is oxygen and the energy source is solar energy. The study tested a photocatalyst to treat atmospheres polluted with nauseous compounds. In this context, the focus was on dimethyl sulfide (DMS), a malodorous VOC emitted in industry. The photocatalyst used was 9,10-dicyanoanthracene (DCA) adsorbed on SiO2. This photocatalyst has a spectral range of absorption shifted toward visible light in contrast to TiO2. Oxidation was studied in the gas phase, in the absence of solvents. DCA/SiO2 on SiO2 was suspended in water and deposited on the walls of a cylindrical pyrex tube. In the reactor were 16 lamps radiating in the visible to a stream of DMS and O2. No SO2 was formed. Only heavier oxides were formed and there was no sulfur mineralization.