PHOTOCATALYTIC DEGRADATION OF CHLORINATED AND NONCHLORINATED ORGANICS IN WATER

THE WIDESPREAD PRESENCE OF CHLORINATED AND NONCHLORINATED ORGANICS IN BOTH NATURAL AND TREATED WATER AT MANY AIR FORCE BASES POSES A SERIOUS ENVIRONMENTAL AND HEALTH PROBLEM, SINCE SUCH UBIQUITOUS HALOCARBONS AS TRICHLOROETHYLENE (TCE) AND CHLOROFORM ARE CARCINOGENIC AND/OR TOXIC. CURRENTLY, THE MOST COMMON TECHNOLOGIES FOR REMOVING ORGANICS FROM GROUNDWATER ARE ACTIVATED CARBON ADSORPTION AND COUNTERCURRENT STRIPPING. HOWEVER, THEY MERELY TRANSFER THE CONTAMINANTS FROM ONE PHASE TO ANOTHER AND REQUIRE ADDITIONAL OPERATIONS FOR ACTUAL CHEMICAL DESTRUCTION. WE PROPOSE TO UTILIZE THE CATALYTIC ACTIVIY OF THE SEMICONDUCTOR TI02 AND THE ION EXCHANGE PROPERTIES OF ZEOLITES TO PREPARE A ZEOLITE-TIO2 FILM TO TRAP AND TO THEN PHOTOCHEMICALLY MINERALIZE TCE AND BENZENE INTO INNOCUOUS PRODUCTS SUCH AS CARBON DIOXIDE AND HYDROCHLORIC ACID. THE ZEOLITE-TIO2FILM WILL BE PREPARED BY A SOL GEL TECHNIQUE WITH TIO2 SERVING AS A PHOTOCATALYST. ZEOLITES AID IN ION AND ORGANIC REMOVAL. THE EXPERIMENTAL SETUP IS DESIGNED IN SUCH A WAY THAT ONLY THE EMBEDDED ZEOLITE ALLOWS THE PERMEATION OF AQUEOUS SOLUTION. SUCH A DESIGN WILL ALLOW OUR SYSTEM TO TRAP AND PHOTOCATALYTICALLY MINERALIZE THE ORGANIC CONTAMINANTS IN AQUEOUS SOLUTION, ABSORBED ON A TIO2 MATRIX AND TRAPPED IN THE EMBEDDED ZEOLITE.