Role of primary reaction initiated by 254 nm UV light in the degradation of p-nitrophenol attacked by hydroxyl radicals.
The degradation kinetics of p-nitrophenol (p-NP) exposed to 254/185 nm UV light were studied in two modes, i.e., 254 nm UV light intensity enhanced mode and normal mode. It was observed that the extra 254 nm UV light source accelerated the degradation process both in the presence and the absence of oxygen. Considering that hydroxyl radical (*OH) is the dominant factor that causes the degradation of p-NP, the enhanced degradation that occurred in the presence of the extra light source was attributed to the synergistic effect between *OH attack and the primary reactions initiated by 254 nm UV light. The synergistic effect has been confirmed by 266 nm laser flash photolysis (LFP) experiments. It is demonstrated that the phenoxy radical generated from the photoionization of p-NP is capable of reacting with *OH. On the basis of these results, it should be noted that UV light could cause more severe damage to p-NP attacked by *OH in aqueous solution.
Highly porous ZnS microspheres for superior photoactivity after Au and Pt deposition and thermal treatment
Abstract This work highlights the enhanced photocatalytic activity of porous ZnS microspheres after Au and Pt deposition and heat treatment at 500 °C for 2 h. Microporous ZnS particles of size 2–5 μm with large surface area 173.14 m 2  g −1 and pore volume 0.0212 cm 3  g −1 were prepared by refluxing under an alkaline medium. Photoluminescence of ZnS at 437 nm attributed to sulfur or zinc vacancies were quenched to 30% and 49%, respectively, after 1 wt% Au and Pt loading. SEM images revealed that each ZnS microparticle consist of several smaller ZnS spheres of size 2.13 nm as calculated by Scherrer's equation. The rate of photooxidation of 4-nitrophenol (10 μM) under UV (125 W Hg arc–10.4 mW/cm 2 ) irradiation has been significantly improved by Au and Pt deposition followed by sintering due to better electron capturing capacity of deposited metals and growth of crystalline ZnS phase with less surface defects.
Experimental Study on Acoustic Agglomeration of Fine Particles from Coal Combustion
The removal of fine particles in coal-fired fumes was experimentally studied based on acoustic agglomeration. An experiment facility was designed and set up. In this facility, a fluidized bed coal combustor was used as fume generator, and an Electrical Low Pressure Impact or (ELPI) was used to measure the fine particle concentration and size distribution in the fumes. The results show that under the effect of high intensity sound waves, there is good performance to remove fine particles in coal-fired fumes, which with a number mean diameter of 0.07μm. Especially, under the conditions of the frequency of 1 000Hz and the sound intensity of 161.5dB, the number concentration of 0.0233~9.314μm particles decreased by 85.2%, and their mass concentration decreased by 92.5%.