Zero-waste multistep plug-flow reactor combining natural CLays and IMmobilized TiO2 nanotubes for industrial Air purification
“Respirare un’aria aperta, e sventolata, è cosa sanissima.”
Di F. Chiari
The research activity, co-funded by the Ministry of University and Research within the frame of PRIN 2022 “scorrimento” (Fondo per il programma nazionale di ricerca e progetti di rilevante interesse nazionale (PRIN) D.D. N. 104/2022 “BANDO PRIN 2022”), focuses on the production of a prototypal air purifier which exploits a hybrid adsorption/photocatalytic technology. The first element allows to hold back pollutants present in air, while the second compartment degrades through photocatalysis whatever is not adsorbed. However, the adsorbent can easily reach saturation, which would require its substitution. Implementing circular economy through a “zero-waste” concept, the introduction of the photocatalytic element also allows to simply and efficiently regenerate the adsorbent by releasing the pollutants and degrading them in the photocatalysis chamber.
The research project, which lasts 2 years, aims at:
- developing an adosrbent material using as target molecules the VOCs that are more often encountered in medium-polluted industrial environments
- identifying adsorbent regeneration conditions, while avoiding the material micro and nanostructure degradation or collapse and allow its reuse
- optimizing the photocatalytic chamber to guarantee pollutants degradation, both for those initialy not adsorbed and during the adsorbent regeneration.
