Oxidative Degradation of Nonionic Surfactants with TiO2 Photocatalyst in a Bubble Column Reactor

The photocatalytic reaction for oxidative degradation of a nonionic surfactant, Tween 80 (polyoxyethylene sorbitan monooleate), was examined using TiO2 photocatalyst powders. An external UV irradiation type slurry bubble column was used as a photoreactor. The rate constant of degradation was proportional to TiO2 surface area and the square root of UV light intensity and independent on the initial concentration of Tween 80. A simple model for intensity distribution profiles of UV light supplied to the liquid in the photoreactor was developed to use in determining the degradation rate constant. The proposed model could simulate the experimental results satisfactorily.