The high efficiency particulate air filter is used widely to remove particulates and microorganisms from the air stream. However, the filter may become a source of microbes if those retained microorganisms proliferate and re-entrain back into the filtered air. This study demonstrates that such a problem can be handled effectively by using photocatalytic reactions to inactivate those confined microorganisms. A 60-100% microbe reduction can be achieved for a wide variety of microorganisms to provide better indoor air quality for hospitals, offices, and domestic applications.

No abstract

In this work, the decomposition behaviors of mainly jatropha seed cake have been examined for desired liquid organic hydrocarbons. In order to check liquid product yield, thermogravimetric (TG) and differential thermogravimetric (DTG) analyses of jatropha wastes were first carried out. The data investigation shows little difference in the value of weight loss between jatropha seed cake and seed shell. The weight loss approximately remains unchanged by the presence of H-ZSM-5 catalysts, but distributions of liquid products formed during pyrolysis, which were examined by Py-GC/MS analysis, were dramatically changed. In fact, the pyrograms obtained in the presence of catalyst at 550 °C were found to be aromatic hydrocarbon selectivity above 90% with the nitrogen-containing compounds of only 2.3%, while, with no catalyst, widely ranged organic products were formed. In the catalytic pyrolysis using quartz reactor, however, the selectivity to aromatic hydrocarbons is only 12.2%, while the N-compounds are 33.9%. Not only the increase in aromatic selectivity, but also the decrease in selectivity to N-compounds would be closely related to both acidity and pore structure of catalyst materials such as H-ZSM-5 and β-zeolite. The postulated reaction pathway was proposed, in order to explain the formation of N-containing compounds as well as aromatic hydrocarbons.

No abstract

No abstract