Demonstrating Online Monitoring of Air Pollutant Photodegradation in a 3D Printed Gas-Phase Photocatalysis Reactor

We present a demonstration of online monitoring of gas-phase photocatalytic reactions. A cotton cloth impregnated with commercial titanium dioxide nanoparticles is used as a photocatalytic filter to clean air contaminated with a model pollutant. A fan forces air through the filter while it is irradiated by UV diodes. The concentration of the air pollutant is measured online by an inexpensive, commercially available semiconductor air quality sensor. The structural parts of the reactor were 3D printed in polylactide bioplastic. We provide all schematics, 3D printed model parts, hardware, firmware, and computer code of the reactor and control units. The device can be used for interactive learning of both gas phase photocatalysis and gas sensing, as well as in student laboratory classes for measuring air pollutants and their photodegradation. The experimental setup can also form the basis for a project work for chemical engineering university students, and it can be employed as a building block for development of other gas phase chemical reaction demonstrations.

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