Pilot-Scale Studies of WO<sub>3</sub>/S-Doped g-C<sub>3</sub>N<sub>4</sub> Heterojunction toward Photocatalytic NO<sub>x</sub> Removal
Marta Kowalkińska,
Agnieszka Fiszka Borzyszkowska,
Anna Grzegórska,
Jakub Karczewski,
Paweł Głuchowski,
Marcin Łapiński,
Mirosław Sawczak,
Anna Zielińska-Jurek
Affiliations
Marta Kowalkińska
Department of Processing Engineering and Chemical Technology, Gdansk University of Technology, Gdańsk, Gabriela Narutowicza 11/12, 80-233 Gdansk, Poland
Agnieszka Fiszka Borzyszkowska
Department of Processing Engineering and Chemical Technology, Gdansk University of Technology, Gdańsk, Gabriela Narutowicza 11/12, 80-233 Gdansk, Poland
Anna Grzegórska
Department of Processing Engineering and Chemical Technology, Gdansk University of Technology, Gdańsk, Gabriela Narutowicza 11/12, 80-233 Gdansk, Poland
Jakub Karczewski
Institute of Nanotechnology and Materials Engineering, Faculty of Applied Physics and Mathematics, Gdańsk University of Technology, Gabriela Narutowicza 11/12, 80-233 Gdansk, Poland
Paweł Głuchowski
Institute of Low Temperature and Structural Research, Polish Academy of Sciences, 50-422 Wroclaw, Poland
Marcin Łapiński
Institute of Nanotechnology and Materials Engineering, Faculty of Applied Physics and Mathematics, Gdańsk University of Technology, Gabriela Narutowicza 11/12, 80-233 Gdansk, Poland
Mirosław Sawczak
Centre for Plasma and Laser Engineering, The Szewalski Institute of Fluid-Flow Machinery Polish Academy of Sciences, Fiszera 14, 80-231 Gdansk, Poland
Anna Zielińska-Jurek
Department of Processing Engineering and Chemical Technology, Gdansk University of Technology, Gdańsk, Gabriela Narutowicza 11/12, 80-233 Gdansk, Poland
Due to the rising concentration of toxic nitrogen oxides (NOx) in the air, effective methods of NOx removal have been extensively studied recently. In the present study, the first developed WO3/S-doped g-C3N4 nanocomposite was synthesized using a facile method to remove NOx in air efficiently. The photocatalytic tests performed in a newly designed continuous-flow photoreactor with an LED array and online monitored NO2 and NO system allowed the investigation of photocatalyst layers at the pilot scale. The WO3/S-doped-g-C3N4 nanocomposite, as well as single components, were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller surface area analysis (BET), X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF), X-ray photoemission spectroscopy method (XPS), UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DR/UV–vis), and photoluminescence spectroscopy with charge carriers’ lifetime measurements. All materials exhibited high efficiency in photocatalytic NO2 conversion, and 100% was reached in less than 5 min of illumination under simulated solar light. The effect of process parameters in the experimental setup together with WO3/S-doped g-C3N4 photocatalysts was studied in detail. Finally, the stability of the composite was tested in five subsequent cycles of photocatalytic degradation. The WO3/S-doped g-C3N4 was stable in time and did not undergo deactivation due to the blocking of active sites on the photocatalyst’s surface.
