Wastewater treatment using photo-impinging streams cyclone reactor: Computational fluid dynamics and kinetics modeling

A photo impinging streams cyclone reactor has been used as a novel apparatus in photocatalytic degradation of organic compounds using titanium dioxide nanoparticles in wastewater. The operating parameters, including catalyst loading, pH, initial phenol concentration and light intensity have been optimized to increase the efficiency of the photocatalytic degradation process within this photoreactor. The results have demonstrated a higher efficiency and an increased performance capability of the present reactor in comparison with the conventional processes. In the next step, residence time distribution (RTD) of the slurry phase within the reactor was measured using the impulse tracer method. A CFD-based model for predicting the RTD was also developed which compared well with the experimental results. The RTD data was finally applied in conjunction with the phenol degradation kinetic model to predict the apparent rate coefficient for such a reaction.