• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
• /
• v.29 no.1
• /
• pp.33-38
• /
• 2015

In this study, flat-type photocatalytic reaction system is applied to reduce toxic hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) to trivalent chromium (Cr(III)) in aqueous solution under UV irradiation. To overcome the limitation of conventional photocatalysis, a novel approach toward photocatalytic system for reduction of hexavalent chromium including nanotubular $TiO_2$ (NTT) on two kinds of titanium substrates (foil and mesh) were established. In addition, modified Ti substrates were prepared by bending treatment to increase reaction efficiency of Cr(VI) in the flat-type photocatalytic reactor. For the fabrication of NTT on Ti substrates, Ti foil and mesh was anodized with mixed electrolytes ($NH_4F-H_2O-C_2H_6O_2$) and then annealed in ambient oxygen. The prepared NTT arrays were uniformly grown on two Ti substrates and surface property measurements were performed through SEM and XRD. Hydraulic retention time(HRT) and substrate type were significantly affected the Cr(VI) reduction. Hence, the photocatalytic Cr(VI) reduction was observed to be highest up to 95% at bended(modified) Ti mesh and lowest HRT. Especially, Ti mesh was more effective as NTT substrate in this research.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
• /
• v.30 no.5
• /
• pp.501-509
• /
• 2016

In this study, a flat-type photocatalytic reactor is applied under solar irradiation for simultaneous treatment of target pollutants: reduction of Cr(VI) to Cr(III) and oxidation of EDCs (BPA, EE2, E2). An immobilized type of photocatalyst was fabricated to have self-grown nanotubes on its surface in order to overcome limitations of powdery photocatalyst. Moreover, Ti mesh form was chosen as substrate and modified to have both larger surface area and photocatalyst content. Ti mesh was anodized at 50V and $25^{\circ}C$ for 30min in the mixed electrolytes ($NH_4F-H_2O-C_2H_6O_2$) and annealed at $450^{\circ}C$ for 2 hours in ambient oxygen to have anatase structure. Surface characterization was done with SEM and XRD methodologies. Fabricated NTT was applied to water treatment, and coexisting Cr(VI) and organics (EDCs) enhanced each other's reactions by scavenging holes and electrons and thus impeding recombination. Also, several experiments were conducted outdoor under direct sunlight and it was observed that both solar-tracking and applying modified photocatalyst were proven to enhance reaction efficiency.