Hydrogen production using a platinum modified TiO2 photocatalyst and an organic scavenger. Kinetic modeling

This contribution reports the kinetics of the photocatalytic production of hydrogen using a modified DP25 (TiO2)-1 wt% Pt and ethanol as an organic scavenger. This study is carried out in a Photo-CREC water II Reactor with a specially designed H-2 collector tank. Experiments are developed under the following conditions: (a) An optimum photocatalyst loading, (b) Near-UV irradiation, (c) An acid pH and (d) Using ethanol as an organic scavenger. This research considers an "In Series-Parallel" kinetics to describe the photocatalytic conversion of ethanol (the organic scavenger) and of other carbon containing product species. Rate equations considered are of the Langmuir-Hinshelwood type leading to a set of ordinary differential equations. Furthermore, it is observed that hydrogen formation is a near zero order reaction. Regression analyses are used to calculate kinetic parameters with a cross-correlation matrix and 95% confidence intervals. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.