Optimizing treatment of benzoic acid by ozone process with recyclable catalyst of magnetism.

This study is to optimize the multi-quality performance of magnetic catalyst/ozone process by combining a technique for order performance by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) with the Taguchi method, which simultaneously has the best decomposition rate constant of benzoic acid and removal rate constant of total organic carbon (TOC). The optimal experimental parameters were pH of 7, initial concentration of 75 ppm and catalyst loading of 0.05 g/L. More than 93% of the magnetic catalyst was easily separated and redispersed for reuse by the magnetic force due to the paramagnetic behaviours of the prepared SiO2/Fe3O4. It is believed that through the joint efforts improvement, design and manufacturing, new separation and recycling technologies will be available and more easily recyclable magnetic catalysts will be developed in the future.

Effects of temple particles on inflammation and endothelial cell response.

To pray in temples is a regular activity in Buddhism and Taoism societies, yet few studies investigated the effects of particles from incense-burning in temples. The objectives of this study are to examine particle size and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) effects of particles on coronary artery endothelial cell. We used two micro-orifice uniform deposit impactors to collect 11 sets of particles at a Chinese temple in Yi-Lan, Taiwan. 16 PAHs were determined by a high-resolution gas chomatograph/high-resolution mass spectrometer. Human coronary artery endothelial cells were exposed to particle extracts in three size ranges: PM(0.1) (diameters less than 0.1 µm), PM(1.0-0.1) (diameters between 1.0 and 0.1 µm), and PM(10-1.0) (diameters between 10 and 1.0 µm) at 50 µg/mL for 4h, and interleukin-6 (IL-6), endothelin-1 (ET-1), and nitric oxide (NO) concentrations in the medium were measured. We found that PM(1.0-0.1) stimulation resulted in significantly higher IL-6 and ET-1 production than PM(0.1) and PM(10-1.0). PM(1.0-0.1) also significantly reduced HCAEA cells to synthesize NO. Naphthalene, acenaphthylene, acenaphthene and anthracene of PM(1.0-0.1) were highly correlated with NO reduction. This study found that size and composition of temple particles were both important factors in inducing cytokine production and reducing NO formation in human coronary artery endothelial cell cultures.

Effect of platinum on the photocatalytic degradation of chlorinated organic compound.

TiO2 nanoparticles, doped with different Pt contents, were prepared by a modified photodeposition method using Degussa P-25 TiO2, H2PtCl6 6H2O and methanol as the solvents. The physicochemical properties of Pt/TiO2 were investigated by the nitrogen adsorption and desorption isotherm measurement technique, X-ray diffraction analysis and photoluminescence spectra, respectively. Reaction rates from photocatalytic removal of dichloromethane over Degussa P-25 TiO2 and Pt/TiO2 were evaluated. The average diameter and BET surface area of the TiO2 catalyst particles were 300 nm and 50 m2/g, respectively. The degradation efficiency was 99.0%, 82.7%, 55.2%, and 57.9% with TiO2 at inlet concentrations of 50, 100, 200, and 300 ppm, respectively. And the degradation efficiency was 99.3%, 79.7%, 76.5%, and 73.4% with a 0.005 wt.% Pt/TiO2 at inlet concentrations of 50, 100, 200, and 300 ppm, respectively. In addition, we found that the photoluminescence emission peak intensities decreased with increases in the doping amount of Pt, which indicates that the irradiative recombination was weakened. Furthermore, the results showed that the UV/0.005 wt.% Pt/TiO2 process was capable of efficiently decomposing gaseous DCM in air.

A study of parameter setting and characterization of visible-light driven nitrogen-modified commercial TiO2 photocatalysts.

An optimal condition applied to the Taguchi method with an L(9) orthogonal array for preparing a visible-light driven nitrogen-modified TiO(2) (N-TiO(2)) photocatalyst by a simple hydrolysis method has been examined for material characteristics and a photodecolorization test of methyl blue (MB) under various visible light source (fluorescent and blue LED lamps) irradiations. Results of the material characterization showed that the absorption of prepared N-TiO(2) powder exhibited a significant extension into visible light regimes with an optical bandgap (Eg) of around 2.96 eV, which subsequently improved the visible-light photocatalytic activity of N-TiO(2) samples. The superior photocatalytic properties, the pseudo first-order reaction rate constants (k) and photodecolorization efficiency (η%) of a N-TiO(2) photocatalyst during the photodecolorization test of methyl blue (MB) under two different visible light irradiations were very evident compared to those for pure TiO(2). For photodecolorization of practical dyeing from the waste water from the dyeing and finishing industry, a higher photodecolorization efficiency of N-TiO(2) powder toward Direct blue-86 (DB-86) (Direct Fast Turquoise Blue GL) dye was also achieved.

Preparation of platinum- and silver-incorporated TiO2 coatings in thin-film photoreactor for the photocatalytic decomposition of o-cresol.

Platinum-incorporated TiO2 (Pt-TiO2) and silver-incorporated TiO2 (Ag-TiO2) coatings on sapphire tubes of a thin-film photoreactor were prepared using a photoreduction process. Results of X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) revealed that the Ag-TiO2 coatings consisted of a mixture of Ag2O, Ag and TiO2 particles, owing to the partial oxidization of silver particles on the TiO2 coatings, while the Pt-TiO2 coating contained a mixture of Pt and TiO2 particles. Diffuse reflectance UV-Vis spectra (DRS) showed that metal particles (Ag or Pt) incorporated into the TiO2 coatings promoted optical absorption in the visible region and made it possible for the coatings to be excited by visible light. Photoluminescence (PL) spectra showed that the PL intensity of the Pt-TiO2 coating was lower than that of the Ag-TiO2 and TiO2 coatings, indicating that the Pt-TiO2 coating had a higher efficiency of charge carrier trapping, immigration and transfer, which subsequently promoted the pseudo-first-order rate constants after the UV/TiO2 process. The Pt-TiO2 coatings for the photocatalytic decomposition of o-cresol under UV light irradiation corresponded to a higher pseudo-first-order rate constant (k) of 0.02 min(-1) when compared with the photocatalytic decomposition rates of pure TiO2 coatings (k = 0.0062 min(-1)) and Ag-TiO2 coatings (k = 0.01 min(-1)). The experimental results also indicated that the photodegradation rate of the Pt-TiO2 coating under visible light irradiation was significantly higher than the photodegradation rates of the Ag-TiO2 and pure TiO2 coatings.