Removal of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from waste air stream using ozone assisted zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles coated on zeolite

AbstractThe release of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from stationary and mobile sources increases the concentration of these pollutants in the environment. These compounds have the potential to cause adverse effects on human health and the environment. The adoption of management and engineering procedures to control the emission of these pollutants to the air has become essential. The aim of this study was to use an advanced oxidation process namely the catalytic ozonation to reduce the concentration of these pollutants in industrial output. In this experimental study, the catalytic ozonation process in the presence of ZnO nanoparticles coated on zeolite media was used in a laboratory scale to treat the air contaminated with BTEX compounds as indicators of VOCs. For this purpose, First the nanocomposites were synthesized based on chemical co-precipitation method. SEM, XRD, BET and FT-IR analyses were performed to investigate the characteristics of nanocomposites. The variables including initial concentrations of BTEX (50 –200 ppm), polluted air flow rate (5–20 l/h), humidity (0–75%) and ozone dose (0.25–1 g/h) were investigated. The concentration of BTEX compounds was measured by the Gas Chromatography (GC) technique according to the NIOSH 1501 manual. The results of SEM, XRD, BET and FT-IR analyses showe d the proper synthesis of nanocomposites. According to the laboratory results, the optimal conditions of the process were found to be as follows: the initial ...
Source: Journal of Environmental Health Science and Engineering - Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research