Evaluation of ultraviolet–photocatalytic oxidation of light alcohols at sub-parts per million concentrations: Fid-Bau Portal

Evaluation of ultraviolet–photocatalytic oxidation of light alcohols at sub-parts per million concentrations

Aghighi, Alireza / Haghighat, Fariborz / Zhong, Lexuan / Lee, Chang-Seo

Ultraviolet photocatalytic oxidation can be a promising technology as it has shown great potential in improving indoor air quality while concurrently providing an energy-efficient solution for application in the heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning systems. At this time, there are some concerns regarding possible formation of toxic by-products from photocatalytic oxidation reactions that undermine the application of this technology in non-industrial buildings. This article reports the outcome of an experimental study on the evaluation of photocatalytic oxidation reactions of light alcoholic volatile organic compounds with nano TiO₂ catalysts at different indoor air conditions. The removal efficiencies of tested individual volatile organic compounds and their by-products were compared at three different parts per billion-level challenge concentrations. Acetaldehyde and formaldehyde were identified as primary by-products, and no significant catalyst deactivation was found during the experiment. The reaction pathways and the selectivity of the reactions were investigated at different relative humidity levels. It is concluded that the humidity had dual effects on the oxidation rate in the case where the degradation rate of the compound under study was relatively higher under low relative humidity levels.