A Novel Experimental Technique to Facilitate Determination of the Light Extinction Characteristics of Photocatalyst Dispersions

There is a need to develop facile methods for the determination of UV light extinction characteristics of photocatalysts. For this task, a novel technique is proposed, applicable to dispersed photocatalyst processes of practical interest. The technique is demonstrated by obtaining fairly extensive data sets of transmittance and extinction coefficients, using TiO2 particle suspensions at various concentrations and pH values ~3, ~5, and ~8, with light lamps of different irradiation types (i.e., UVC and UVA), immersed in the medium. To estimate the light absorption coefficient, under various tested conditions, the simplified Kubelka–Munk model is employed. The results obtained, regarding both the total light extinction and absorption coefficient, are in accord with similar literature data. The demonstrated technique is considered useful for process development studies and the design of photocatalytic reactors.