Engineering Commons^™

Visible Light Driven Photocatalysis For Degradation Of Diclofenac, Noshin Hashim

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Diclofenac (DCF), a widely used non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), is a commonly detected substance that readily accumulates in tissues of aquatic fish and poses a threat to wildlife and freshwater quality. Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs) have been explored as an alternative method for complete mineralization of DCF as conventional treatment methods are inadequate for treatment of trace contaminants.

This study employs a semi-batch, swirl-flow, monolithic type photocatalytic reactor to determine intrinsic kinetic parameters of DCF mineralization, in an immobilized system under both UV and visible radiation. The goal of this work to determine true kinetics of DCF, after correcting for …

Enhanced Solar Photocatalytic Hydrogen Generation And Water Treatment Using Hetero-Structure Photocatalysts, Ghodsieh Malekshoar

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Among different approaches to overcome current environmental concerns, heterogeneous photocatalysis is recognized as a promising one. While there are various applications of photocatalysis including water splitting and water treatment, the overall efficiency of this process is still fairly low due to the two dominant drawbacks of current semiconductors, namely wide band gap and fast recombination of photo-generated charges, which restrict the photocatalytic reactions. Designing a hybrid photocatalyst composed of semiconductor hetero-junctions is a viable approach to address these challenges.

The objective of this research project is developing efficient photocatalysts via simple and practical synthesis methods in order to enhance the …

Water Treatment Using Advanced Oxidation Processes: Application Perspectives, Charles R. Gilmour

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) using hydroxyl radicals and other oxidative radical species are being studied extensively for removal of organic compounds from various waste streams. However, large scale applications of these highly effective technologies in water and wastewater treatment are still very limited due to cost and inadequate information about the resultant water quality. This study focuses on the evaluation of the upstream processing and downstream post treatment analysis of selective AOPs. In the first stage of research, the performance of a proprietary catalyst (VN-TiO₂) was compared with the industry standard P25 TiO₂, for the use …