Apparatus and method for photocatalytic purification and disinfection of fluids
AssigneeTitan Technologies, Inc.
InventorsGary Carmignani, Lee Frederick, Steve Sitkiewitz
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus and method for the photocatalytic conversion of contaminants in a fluid stream. Fluid is directed through a semitransparent packed bed or an open cell, three dimensionally reticulated, fluid permeable, semiconductor unit. Within the unit, a semiconductor, when exposed to a photoactivating light source, converts the contaminants through a photocatalytic reaction. Both the substrate and the semiconductor photocatalyst are semitransparent to the activating light to allow penetration of light into the unit, thereby distributing the light, increasing the active specific surface area, and improving the net conversion performance of the unit.
Claims36
An apparatus for photocatalytic conversion of contaminants in a fluid stream, said apparatus comprising:
- a reactor enclosure having a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet;
- at least one semiconductor unit in fluid communication with said fluid inlet and said fluid outlet, said semiconductor unit including a transparent or semi-transparent, three-dimensional substrate having a semi-transparent semiconductor photocatalytic surface with which the fluid stream comes into contact;
- and
- a light emitting device in optical proximity and communication to said at least one semiconductor unit, said light emitting device providing light having a wavelength corresponding to the semitransparent region of the absorption spectrum of the semiconductor;
- wherein said light emitting device and said photocatalytic surface work cooperatively to remove contaminants in the fluid stream by photocatalytic reaction.
An method for photocatalytic conversion of contaminants in a fluid stream, comprising:
- providing a reactor enclosure having a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet;
- providing at least one semiconductor unit in fluid communication with said fluid inlet and said fluid outlet, said semiconductor unit including a transparent or semi-transparent, three-dimensional substrate having a semi-transparent semiconductor photocatalytic surface with which the fluid stream comes into contact;
- providing a light emitting device in optical proximity and communication to said at least one semiconductor unit;
- directing light having a wavelength corresponding to the semitransparent region of the absorption spectrum of the semiconductor toward said semiconductor unit;
- and
- converting contaminants in the fluid stream.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.