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U.S. Department of Energy
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Photoassisted oxidation of oil films on water

Technical Report ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/5117156· OSTI ID:5117156

The objective of the project is to develop TiO{sub 2}-based photocatalysts for the solar assisted oxidative dissolution of oil slicks. In a TiO{sub 2} crystal, absorption of a photon generates an electron-hole pair. The electron reacts with surface-adsorbed oxygen, reducing it to hydrogen peroxide; the hole directly oxidizes adsorbed organic compounds, usually via an intermediate OH radical. Since the density of TiO{sub 2} (3.8g/cc for anatase, 4.3 g/cc for rutile) is greater than that of either oil or seawater, TiO{sub 2} crystals are attached to inexpensive, engineered hollow glass microspheres to ensure flotation on the oil slick surface. Portions of the microsphere surface not covered by TiO{sub 2} are made oleophilic so that the microbeads will be preferentially attracted to the oil-air interface.

Research Organization:
Texas Univ., Austin, TX (United States). Dept. of Chemical Engineering
Sponsoring Organization:
DOE; USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
DOE Contract Number:
FG05-90ER12101
OSTI ID:
5117156
Report Number(s):
DOE/ER/12101-2; ON: DE92002537
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English