Projects / Programmes
Development of advance TiO2/SiO2 photocatalyst for indoor air cleaning
| Code |
Science |
Field |
Subfield |
| 1.04.03 |
Natural sciences and mathematics |
Chemistry |
Inorganic chemistry |
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| P360 |
Natural sciences and mathematics |
Inorganic chemistry |
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| 1.04 |
Natural Sciences |
Chemical sciences |
indoor air cleaning, volatile organic compounds (VOC), advance oxidation processes (AOP), built-in filter for air cleaning device based on photocatalysis, TiO2/SiO2 photocatalyst
Researchers (15)
Organisations (3)
Abstract
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are the major pollutants in indoor air. Advanced oxidation process such as photocatalytic oxidation is a promising technology for air purification because the pollutants can be completely mineralized. Photocatalytic oxidation of VOCs by TiO2 is a cost-effective technology. TiO2 remains superior material to other photocatalysts due to its interesting characteristics: low cost, safe, very stable, shows high photocatalytic activity, it can promote ambient temperature oxidation of the major class of indoor air pollutants. The efficiency of air purifiers for indoor air is improving nowadays in several ways. One of these ways is built-in TiO2 photocatalytic filters. The market analysis showed that among fourteen producers of air cleaning devices for indoor air present on the Slovenian market, there are only two producers with cleaning devices that contain built-in TiO2 photocatalytic filters.
The problem is low efficiency of built-in TiO2 photocatalytic filters towards higher concentration of VOC because of the small specific area of the photocatalyst TiO2 (from 50 to 200 m2/g). This can be solved by immobilization of active TiO2 nanoparticles on the porous SiO2 support with high specific surface area () 200 m2) and the preparation of the composite photocatalyst TiO2/SiO2.
CINKARNA company, the major TiO2 producer in Slovenia, whose the most important product to date was TiO2 pigment, intends to hold and increase its good position on the market also with the help of the new photocatallyticaly active TiO2 product. New product from CINKARNA is suitable component for advanced TiO2/SiO2 built-in filters for air-cleaning devices. Therefore three main objectives will be followed within the proposed project: 1) development of TiO2/SiO2 photocatalyst with high surface area and efficient catalytic effect using TiO2 product CCA 100 BS from CINKARNA and porous SiO2, 2) development of selected TiO2/SiO2 photocatalytic coating on suitable carrier, 3) the plan of the pilot plant scale production of the advanced TiO2/SiO2 photocatalytic built-in filter for air cleaning device.
Significance for science
The development of the synthesis route of highly efficient photocatalytically-active TiO2/SiO2 coatings on low-cost carriers for the design of built-in filters for cleaning device of indoor air enables more precisely-directed synthetic routes for the preparation of the materials with specific and targeted physical and chemical properties. Industrial and academic users benifit from the knowledge of the simultaneous development of characterisation methods for the determination of structure of the prepared material and the reliable standard testing methods for the evaluation of the material efficiency. This also help in understanding the processes and mechanisms of some other new materials with more complex structures. Some parts of the work was published in scientific journals.
Significance for the country
CINKARNA company, the major TiO2 producer in Slovenia, whose the most important product to date was pigment TiO2, intends to hold and increase its good position on the market also with the help of the new photocatalytic TiO2 products in the form of aqueous solution. One of the new TiO2 products from CINKARNA is very suitable for advanced TiO2/SiO2 built-in filters for air-cleaning devices. Development of this kind of filter was the goal of this project. Namely, in Slovenia there is currently no producer of high efficient built-in TiO2/SiO2 photocatalytic filters. In the frame of this project and in collaboration with NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF CHEMISTRY and UNIVERSITY OF NOVA GORICA, CINKARNA designed the prototype. Indoor air-cleaning devices which decompose harmful volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to CO2 and H2O became every day more important concerning human health. Namely, a long-term exposure to VOCs will be detrimental to human health causing sick building syndrome (SBS). Indirect impact of the project for society was the development of top-level experts for this field, who transfer their knowledge to scientific and professional community through publications, who apply new knowledge also in other industrial branches and who include the achievements directly into the pedagogical process. Because the company CINKARNA exports its products to EU and other markets, the advanced technological product will contribute to the promotion of the company as well as to the promotion of the country.
Most important scientific results
Annual report
2011,
2012,
2013,
final report,
complete report on dLib.si
Most important socioeconomically and culturally relevant results
Annual report
2011,
2012,
2013,
final report,
complete report on dLib.si
