MATOS, J.; OCARES, J.; POON, P.; GARCÍA, X.; TITIRICI, M.; ANIA, C.:
Proceedings of the 10th European Meeting on Solar Chemistry and Photocatalysis: Environmental Applications (SPEA10), June 2018, pp 829-831.
Abstract
The potential of C-doped TiOz-based materials in the presence of Cu in the photocatalytic valorization of glycerol (Gly) and furfuryl alcohol (FA) was verified. The photocatalytic tests were measured at ambient temperature in an open-to-air photoreactor measured at ambient temperature in an open-to-air photoreactor under simulated solar irradiation. Both TiO2-C and Cu@TiO2-C showed photocatalytic activity. FA and Gly were mineralized on TiO2-C material leading to the formation of carboxylic acids while the photoconversion of Gly and FA, was preferentially selective to aldehydes and ketones on Cu@TiO2-C. The changes in selectivity were ascribed to the remarkable variation in the surface pH of the solids: ca. 3.8 for TiO2-C and 6.2 for Cu@TiO2-C, due to the presence of Cu. Our data showed that Cu@TiO2-C is a suitable catalyst for the photo-upgrading of glycerol, furfuryl alcohol under solar irradiation.