Graphene-titanate photocatalyst and its use in an air purifying device - prototype demonstration in operational environment

Abstract

Volatile organic compounds constitute a group of dangerous air pollutants, which can be eliminated by the photocatalytic route. In this work we demonstrated the hydrothermal synthesis of photocatalytic composite CTO-RGO based on copper titanate and reduced graphene oxide. The material is composed of three phases namely rutile, tenorite and reduced graphene oxide, and it shows absorption in a broad range of light (ultraviolet and visible light). CTO-RGO showed an excellent photocatalytic activity in a laboratory scale experiment. Therefore it has been used as an active material in air purifying devices. A prototype was tested in operational environments such as apartment, fitness center and industrial places. Obtained results confirmed the significant decrease of VOC level due to photocatalytic degradation of pollutants.