Operational Conditions Affecting Hydrogen Production by the Photoreforming of Organic Compounds using Titania Nanoparticles with Gold. Issue 2 (26th January 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Varas‐Concha, Felipe; Guzmán, Diego; Isaacs, Mauricio; Sáez‐Navarrete, César
• Is Part Of: Energy technology. Volume 6:Issue 2(2018:Feb.)
• Page Start: 416
• Page End: 431
• Publication Date: 2018-01-26
• Subjects: gold -- hydrogen -- nanoparticles -- photocatalysis -- titanium dioxide; Energy development -- Periodicals; Power resources -- Periodicals; 333.79
• DOI: 10.1002/ente.201700546
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2194-4288

Abstract

Abstract: Several factors affect photocatalytic hydrogen productivity from the photoreforming of organic compounds, which makes it difficult to optimize operational conditions in photoreactors. To prioritize these factors, we focused on the quantification of the effect of five of them on hydrogen production. Photocatalytic experiments were performed on 67 mL batch photoreactors under UV‐LED lamps ( λ =375 nm) using a suspension of TiO2 –Au nanoparticles synthesized by a sol–gel approach. The analyzed factors were: (A) presence of Au as a cocatalyst, (B) type of alcohol as the electron donor, (C) intensity of UV light, (D) electron donor concentration, and (E) nanoparticle concentration. A main and interaction effects analysis is presented with reduced fixed effect models for three responses: total hydrogen generation, catalyst productivity, and electron donor productivity. The presence of Au as a cocatalyst (A), the intensity of UV light (C), and their interaction (AC) were the factors with the highest effect. The best configuration allowed us to reach a catalyst productivity of 2925 μmol H 2 g −1 h −1 . Abstract : Quantifying factor effects ! A statistical approach is used to identify the most important factors affecting the photocatalytic hydrogen production using TiO2 nanoparticles and its productivity. Among five factors and their interactions, the presence of Au as a cocatalyst, light radiation, and nanoparticle concentration are the most important factors.