Catalytic Photodegradation of Cyclic Sulfur Compounds in a Model Fuel Using a Bench-scale Falling-film Reactor Irradiated by a Visible Light

Noor Edin Mousa (Chemical Engineering Department, University of Technology, Baghdad)
Seba S. Mohammed (Department of Chemical and Oil Industries, Institute of Northern Technical University, Mosul)
Zainab Y. Shnain (Chemical Engineering Department, University of Technology, Baghdad)
Mohammad F. Abid (Department of Oil and Gas Refining Engineering, Al- Turath University College, Al-Mansour Quarter, Baghdad)
Asawer A. Alwasiti (Chemical Engineering Department, University of Technology, Baghdad)
Khalid A. Sukkar (Chemical Engineering Department, University of Technology, Baghdad)

Bulletin of Chemical Reaction Engineering & Catalysis
2022: BCREC Volume 17 Issue 4 Year 2022 (December 2022)

A homemade N doped-TiO2 nanoparticle were used to degrade dibenzothiophene (DBT) in a model fuel flowing on a bench-scale glass-made falling film reactor irradiated by a xenon lamp that emitted visible light. The photocatalyst was immobilized on the glass sheet. EDS, SEM, and FT-IR techniques were utilized to identify the morphology of the N doped-TiO2 nanoparticles. Different operating parameters (e.g., N loading (0, 4, 5, and 6 wt%), light intensity (20, 40, and 60 W/m2), and pH (4, 7, and 10)) were investigated for their effect on the DBT degradation.  The effect of the N loading on the wettability of the nano-TiO2 particles was also investigated. Experimental results revealed that the N loading did not affect the wettability characteristics of the nano TiO2 particles. Moreover, results showed that DBT conversion positively depends on N loading, light intensity (hv), and pH increase. The estimated optimal operating parameters were 5 wt% N loading, pH = 10, and hv = 40 W/m2 to ensure the best photo-oxidation efficiency of 91.4% after 120 min of operation. The outcomes of the present work confirmed the effective efficiency of the N-doped TiO2 nanoparticles irradiated by visible light for DBT degradation. Copyright © 2022 by Authors, Published by BCREC Group. This is an open access article under the CC BY-SA License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0).