High performance fluidized bed photoreactor for ethylene decomposition

Removal of C₂H₄ in the air was carried out in the continuous flow reactor with the photocatalytic bed (expanded polystyrene spheres coated by TiO₂ or SiO₂/TiO₂) under irradiation of UV light. Continuous flow of a gas stream through the reactor was realised at the static bed and under bed fluidization. The required flow of a gas stream through the reactor for bed fluidisation was 500–700 ml/min, whereas for the static bed the flow rate of 20 ml/min was used. Fluidized bed reactor appeared to be much more efficient in ethylene removal than that with the stationary bed. It was caused by the increased speed of C₂H₄ mass transfer to the photocatalyst surface and better utilization of the incident UV light. In the fluidized bed reactor calculated rate of C₂H₄ degradation was around 10 μg/min whereas in the stationary state 1.2 μg/min only.