Solar photocatalytic detoxification of water
Solar energy is being applied to one of the most difficult environmental problems our country faces in the coming decades: the destruction of hazardous contaminants in water. Researchers within the Solar Industrial Program of the Department of Energy (DOE) are developing a technology for solar detoxification of water that could improve the way toxic wastes are removed from surface water and groundwater. Unlike many remediation techniques in use today, these solar-based processes actually destroy hazardous contaminants; the wastes are not transferred to other media for disposal. Solar photocatalysis of water uses solar energy to power a reaction that eliminates organic contaminants from water. The process, which was recently field tested at a Superfund site in California, uses a solar-activated photocatalyst, titanium dioxide (TiO{sub 2}), to oxidize organic compounds. Researchers are currently working to increase the efficiency and reduce the costs of the process to make it economically competitive with traditional remediation methods. Commercialization of the process could occur by the mid-1990s. This chapter is an overview of the research that has been conducted in solar photocatalysis within the Solar Industrial Program. Although many relevant contributions from other research groups are also discussed, the chapter is not intended as a thorough review of the entire field of photocatalysis. The emphasis is instead placed on the practical application of this technology to the specific application of water detoxification. 70 refs., 14 figs., 1 tab.
- OSTI ID:
- 460359
- Journal Information:
- Advances in Solar Energy, Journal Name: Advances in Solar Energy Vol. 7; ISSN 0731-8618; ISSN ASOED9
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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