Photocatalytic membrane contactor

Kumakiri I, Diplas S, Simon C, and Nowak P. Photocatalytic membrane contactors for water treatment. Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 2011 50 6000-6008. 

In particular, some results obtained in a photocatalytic membrane contactor (PMC) for the one-step synthesis of phenol and its simultaneous separation, are reported (Molinari et aL, 2009). Ti02 has been used as catalyst, benzene as both reactant and extraction solvent, and a polypropylene membrane to separate the organic phase from the aqueous reactive environment. 

Other types of membrane separation processes that can be useful when they are coupled with a photocatalytic system are the membrane contactors. 

Membrane contactors represent interesting membrane processes that allow, for example, to separate one or most reaction products from the photocatalytic environment thanks to their different distribution coefficient between the two phases. In this way it is possible to solve the problem of secondary reactions that occur during a synthetic pathway and lead to undesirable by-products. 

The membrane photoreactor built in this study consists of an external lamp placed on a batch reactor containing the aqueous solution with the catalyst in suspension by means of a peristaltic pump the solution is withdrawn from the photocatalytic reactor to a membrane contactor module in which a benzene solution is present as strip phase. 

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