Photochemical and catalytic reactions are emerging in multiple industries, including energy, pharmaceuticals, and water. These reactions use light to directly excite a reacting species or a photocatalyst to enable a chemical reaction. While they offer potential to transform these industries, current photoreactors suffer from poor conversion and side product formation The team evaluated performance of 5 batch and flow reactors on the photocatalytic decomposition of Rhodamine B, monitoring the reaction with UV-vis spectroscopy. The team determined that the packed bed reactor outperformed batch and external irradiation flow reactors, converting 0.69 µmol/L/h of Rhodamine B compared to 0.45 and 0.44 µmol/L/h, respectively.

• This report represents the work of one or more WPI undergraduate students submitted to the faculty as evidence of completion of a degree requirement. WPI routinely publishes these reports on its website without editorial or peer review.

Creator

• Frary, Kimberly
• Marlow, James
• Yatsuhashi, Andrew

Subject

• Energy
• Innovation
• Industry
• Environment
• Water

Publisher

• Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Identifier

• 64836
• E-project-042722-233902

Keyword

• Kinetics and Reactor Design
• Photocatalysis
• Energy
• Pharmaceuticals
• Wastewater

Advisor

• Bergendahl, John Andrew
• Teixeira, Andrew R

Year

• 2022

UN Sustainable Development Goals

• 6 - Clean Water and Sanitation
• 7 - Affordable and Clean Energy
• 9 - Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

Date created

• 2022-04-27

Resource type

• Major Qualifying Project

Major

• Chemical Engineering
• Environmental Engineering

Rights statement

• In Copyright