Photocatalytic Degradation Of VOCs, Toxics And Odors From Air Emissions Of Wastewater Treatment Plants And Municipal Solid Waste Landfills

Abstract

The 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments (CAAA) require more stringent controls of sources of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and hazardous air pollutants (HAPs). Air quality managers at the state level are responsible for developing State Implementation Plans (SIPs) to improve regional air quality. Both wastewater treatment and landfills facilities are sources of VOCs, HAPs and odors. This research examines the effectiveness of photocatalytic oxidation (PCO) in treating emissions from wastewater and landfill facilities. PCO rate constants of compounds such as methane, o-xylene, m-xylene, p-xylene and carbonyl sulfide are determined over titanium dioxide (TiO2) catalyst in a continuous mixed-batch reactor. The PCO destruction rates indicated first order decay. Destruction rate was higher for smaller molecules like methane and carbonyl sulfide and lower for complex molecules like xylenes. The destruction rate also depended on humidity. Research concludes that PCO is a promising method to treat emissions from smaller sources.