Photochemical reactions for commercial synthesis
AssigneeSolarchem Corporation
InventorJames E. Guillet
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Photochemical reactions are conducted using polymer beads arranged as a monolayer, e.g. floating on the surface of a moving body of water. The polymer bead is impregnated with a reactant, floated on the water or otherwise exposed as a monolayer in direct sunlight so as to expose the reactant to solar radiation, collected at a downstream location, treated to remove product from the polymer, and then the bead can be recycled. The process can be used to collect and store solar energy in chemical form, or for conducting photochemical synthesis to produce useful chemical products.
Claims16
A process for converting at least one photochemically reactive chemical reactant to photochemical reaction products utilizing radiation of wavelength from about 100 to about 750 nm, which comprises:
- providing a carrier which is substantially inert to the chemical reactant and the photochemical reaction products;
- applying said at least one reactant to the carrier and supporting it thereon or therein;
- floating said carrier supporting said at least one reactant on a liquid medium in which the carrier is substantially insoluble and inert;
- covering the carrier while floating on the medium with a film of substantially gas impermeable, solar radiation permeable material and by exposing the covered carrier-supported reactant or reactants to radiation of wavelength from about 100 to about 750 nm while the carrier floats on the liquid medium;
- and
- recovering from the inert carrier photochemical reaction products obtained from said reactant or reactants.
A process for converting at least one photochemically reactive chemical reactant to photochemical reaction products utilizing radiation of wavelength from about 100 to about 750 nm which comprises:
- providing a particulate, discrete-moduled carrier which is substantially inert to the chemical reactant and the photochemical reaction products;
- applying said at least one reactant to the carrier and supporting it thereon or therein;
- distributing the carrier supporting said at least one reactant as a monolayer of carrier modules;
- exposing the carrier-supported reactant, while the carrier is distributed as a monolayer to direct radiation of said wavelength from about 100 to about 750 nm so as to cause photochemical reaction of said reactant to form a product;
- and
- recovering the product so formed from the inert carrier modules.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.