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US 12,589,993 B2Granted
Methods for photocatalytic water splitting of produced waters
AssigneeSaudi Arabian Oil Company
InventorsHassan Sakar Alqahtani, Fahd Ibrahim Alghunaimi, Khalid Yahya Hazazi, Salah Hamad Al-Saleh
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Abstract
Methods for photocatalytic water splitting of produced waters may comprise introducing a photocatalyst comprising a semiconductor to a produced water comprising ions of sodium, chloride, calcium, magnesium, potassium, sulfate, barium, iron, lithium, strontium, or any combination thereof; in the presence of sunlight, allowing the photocatalyst to facilitate a reduction-oxidation reaction of a plurality of water molecules from the produced water; and obtaining hydrogen and oxygen.
Claims17
A method comprising:
- introducing a photocatalyst comprising a semiconductor comprising (i) titanium dioxide and/or a perovskite and (ii) indium gallium nitride, and a cocatalyst comprising a noble metal or a transition metal oxide, wherein the cocatalyst is on a surface of the photocatalyst, to a produced water comprising ions of sodium, chloride, calcium, magnesium, potassium, sulfate, barium, iron, lithium, strontium, or any combination thereof;
- in the presence of sunlight, allowing the photocatalyst to facilitate a reduction-oxidation reaction of a plurality of water molecules from the produced water;
- and
- obtaining hydrogen and oxygen.
1 more element
A method comprising:
- introducing a photocatalyst comprising a semiconductor and a cocatalyst comprising a noble metal or a transition metal oxide, wherein the cocatalyst is on a surface of the photocatalyst, to a produced water having a total dissolved solids concentration of about 3 ppm to about 60,000 ppm and comprising ions of sodium, chloride, calcium, magnesium, potassium, sulfate, barium, iron, lithium, strontium, or any combination thereof;
- wherein the semiconductor comprises (i) titanium dioxide and/or a perovskite, and (ii) indium gallium nitride;
- and the cocatalyst comprises Pt, Rh, NiOx, or RuO2;
- adsorbing a plurality of water molecules from the produced water onto a surface of the photocatalyst;
- absorbing a photon energy from the sunlight by the photocatalyst greater than a band-gap energy of the semiconductor;
- generating a plurality of photoexcited electron hole pairs within the photocatalyst that migrate to the surface of the photocatalyst thereby facilitating a reduction-oxidation reaction of the plurality of water molecules;
- and
- obtaining hydrogen and oxygen.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.