Photocatalytic oxidation of ethane over TiO2

The photocatalytic oxidation of ethane has been studied at room temperature using a specially designed stirred reactor. The effect on the rate of ethane oxidation, of the partial pressure of reactants, the UV light intensity, the amount of catalyst and the residence time has been evaluated. Running the experiments according to a factorial plan permitted to deduce from a limited amount of experimental data the complete kinetic model corresponding to the steady state adsorption mechanism. On the basis of the experimental critical mass of the catalyst (1.5 g), an expression permitting calculation of the critical mass of the catalyst (TiO2) for any type of photocatalytic reactor has been derived.