Modeling the photocatalytic reactions of g-C3N4-TiO2 nanocomposites in a recirculating semi-batch reactor

Abstract

In this study, a mathematical model was achieved for prediction of the photocatalytic activity of graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4)-TiO2 nanocomposites in a recirculating semi-batch reactor. The g-C3N4-TiO2 nanocomposites were fabricated by the electrochemical anodization. The newly designed scale-up process using a recirculating semi-batch reactor with a large production of nanomaterials was suitable for the degradation of organics. The mathematical model was validated with different operational parameters, such as the effect of the initial pollutant concentration, light intensity, reaction temperature, and catalyst dose. We compared the model-predicted and experimental values of the reaction rate constant and final pollutant concentration. We observed good agreement between the predicted and experimental values of the photocatalytic activity, with R-2 values of 0.941 and 0.955 for k(app) and C-f, respectively. From a sensitivity analysis, it was observed that the initial pollutant concentration effects the photocatalytic activity more than the other parameters. (C) 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.