Photocatalytic Decomposition of Crude Oil Slicks Using TiO2 on a Floating Substrate

Abstract One of the greatest man-made environmental disasters is crude oil slicks. Oil slicks are primarily composed of hydrocarbons which often have long residence times in the environment. However, using the photocatalyst titanium dioxide, TiO2, and UV-A (330-430 nm) radiation from the Sun yields complete oxidation of hydrocarbons into H2O and CO2 on the surface of the water. It was observed that approximately 70 mol% of the aromatic and 25 mol% of the alkene model photodecomposed in 30 min using the TiO2 catalyst and a UV lamp. TiO2 is a nontoxic semiconducting powder which can be readily placed on a floating substrate, catalyzing the reaction, and then subsequently easily recovered.