Conference Agenda

TiO2-based photocatalytic oxidation process (PCO) is an environment-friendly and promising air purification technology for degrading indoor air volatile organic compounds (VOCs) at ambient temperature and pressure. However, several significant limitations, such as low photoactivity under visible light irradiation, a high rate of charge carrier recombination, limited adsorption capacity, and the formation of hazardous by-products, have hindered the commercialization of this technology. In this study, synthesized TiO2 was coupled with another semiconductor (WO3) at varying W/Ti molar ratios to address some of its limitations for removing methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) as a model pollutant from the indoor air environment. The synthesized photocatalysts were coated onto nickel foam, and their photocatalytic performance, along with the identification and quantification of gaseous by-products formed, was evaluated in a continuous-flow reactor with a short residence time, and an inlet concentration of 2.5 mg/m3, and 40% relative humidity (RH). The physicochemical properties of the prepared photocatalysts were characterized by XRD, SEM, N2 adsorption-desorption, DRS, and PL. The results showed that coupling TiO2 with WO3 extends its spectral response into the visible light range, with a significant improvement in visible-light-driven photocatalytic activity demonstrated for 3%WO3-TiO2 (3%WT) compared to bare TiO2. Specifically, the removal efficiency increased from 32% to 61% under visible light irradiation. Also, the formation of identified by-products (formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, and acetone) was significantly reduced when TiO2 was coupled with WO3, compared to pure TiO2.