Chemical apparatus and process disinfecting – deodorizing – preser – Chemical reactor – With means applying electromagnetic wave energy or...
Reexamination Certificate
1998-09-02
2001-05-29
Warden, Sr., Robert J. (Department: 1744)
Chemical apparatus and process disinfecting, deodorizing, preser
Chemical reactor
With means applying electromagnetic wave energy or...
C422S121000, C422S122000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06238630
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a device and a reactor including photocatalyst.
More particularly, this invention relates to the method in which the photocatalyst is activated by light rays with relatively short wavelength and a substance is subject to reaction of oxidation and/or reduction when the substance is in contact with or in close vicinity to the photocatalyst. Further, the invention relates to the device having photocatalyst layer including photocatalyst and further the invention relates to the reactor having photocatalyst layer including photocatalyst and a light source generating the light rays with relatively short wavelength.
2. Description of Related Art
It is well know that a photocatalyst activating by light rays with relatively short wavelength decomposes or dissolves an organic substance which is in contact with, in close vicinity to, or deposited on the photocatalyst by reaction of oxidation and/or reduction or photocatalyst effect.
Typical photocatalyst is a kind of photo activated semiconductor such as Titanium Dioxide (TiO2).
There are many fields of application of such photocatalyst, for instance, cleaning to delete dirty component from the surface of articles, dirt protection to prevent depositing of dirty component, prevention from spread of infection, deleting of odor, cleaning of air, processing of exhausting gas, cleaning of water, processing of exhausting water, dissolving of a water to make Hydrogen, speeding up of a chemical reaction and dissolving of pollutant which cause social pollution.
All the applications as mentioned above utilize the photocatalyst reaction of photocatalyst function by strong oxidation-reduction power to exert when the photocatalyst is activated by light.
For example, the photocatalyst being radiated by the light rays with short wavelength activates any Oxygen(O2) existing in the air, that dissolved or mixed in water, to form Ozone(O3) or activated Oxygen(O1). The Ozone or the activated Oxygen decomposes microorganisms such as fungi (i.e. molds) bacteria and organic chlorine compound containing in the water by oxidization. Therefore, the odor-less or color-less water is obtained and the water is sterilized.
Furthermore, the photocatalyst being radiated by the light rays having short wavelength shows a high activity of water's decomposition and helps to decompose the water(H2O) to activated oxygen(O) and hydrogen(H2).
Moreover, the photocatalyst as the material to eliminate or decrease environmental pollution. contributes to the decomposition of pollutants in which the pollutants contain a volatile organic solvent such as trichroloethylene, tetrachroloethylene, a chemical agent for agriculture such as grass eliminating agent bioinsecticide, an organic phosphate and a harmful inorganic chemical compound such as cyan and a kind of chrome.
Where multiple photocatalyst particles are used directly for reaction of oxidation-reduction with any substance, it is very difficult to separate and collect the photocatalyst particles and a device to utilize photocatalyst particles becomes complicated and large scale.
While, where multiple photocatalyst particles are used as a form of photocatalyst supported substrate in which a layer including the photocatalyst particles is fixed and supported on the substrate, recycling of the photocatalyst particles can be easily done because the separation and collection of the photocatalyst particles are not needed.
As for the latter case using the photocatalyst supported substrate, the publication of unexamined patent application of Japan No. 155726/1993 discloses that a Titanium Dioxide layer of photocatalyst is coated on a substrate such as metal, ceramic and glass, for the purpose of protecting a surface of the substrate from growth of bacteria.
Referring to FIG.
5
and
FIG. 6
, a typical prior art showing a device including photocatalyst(a substrate device supporting photocatalyst, a device with photocatalyst, or a photocatalyst device) is explained in which a layer including photocatalyst particles is fixed on a substrate.
FIG. 5
illustrates a schematic perspective view of a photocatalyst reactor showing the prior art of
FIG. 6
illustrates a schematic enlarged cross-sectional view taken along the line B—B in
FIG. 5
, showing the photocatalyst device
300
.
In FIG.
5
and
FIG. 6
, the photocatalyst device
300
consists of a plate like substrate
30
made from metal, ceramic or glass and a photocatalyst layer
20
made of binder layer including many photocatalyst particles in which the photocatalyst layer
20
is formed or fixed on the substrate
30
.
As shown in
FIG. 5
, a conventional photocatalyst reactor consists of the photocatalyst device
300
having the substrate
30
and the photocatalyst layer
20
and a short wavelength light source
210
(typically Ultraviolet light source) generating short wavelength light rays, such as Ultraviolet(UV) light rays. The light source
210
is preferably composed of a lamp having a linear shape (i.e. a tubular shape).
The short wavelength light source
210
is installed at a location, distant from the photocatalyst layer
20
of photocatalyst device
300
, keeping a vertical distance “D”.
As shown in
FIGS. 5 and 6
, the UV light rays L
10
generating from the Ultraviolet light source
210
are directed toward a front surface of the substrate
30
and radiate directly a front surface of photocatalyst layer
20
coated on the front surface of the substrate
30
.
Reference mark “OB” indicating as circle in
FIG. 5
shows an object to be cleaned-up or purified, or a dirty component such as dirty substance by foods, molds, bacteria, dirty substance by oil, which is in contact with, inclose vicinity to, or deposited on the photocatalyst layer
20
.
In an area which the dirty object “OB” exists, a large amount of the UV light rays L
10
is absorbed (or reflected) at the dirty object “OB”, on the way passing through the dirty object “OB”. Therefore only a small amount of such light rays L
10
reaches to the photocatalyst layer
20
in the area and the photocatalyst layer
20
in the area is activated or energizes in small rate by the UV light rays L
10
with reduced lighting power.
Further, where the object “OB” composed of various media such as liquid(water, etc.) or gas(exhaust gas, etc.) are cleaned-up or process to react for clarification, the object “OB” exists between the UV light source
210
and the photocatalyst device
300
. In this case, the object “OB” absorbs (or reflects) some amount of the UV light rays L
10
radiated from the UV light source
210
and the photocatalyst layer
20
of the photocatalyst device
300
receives the remaining amount of UV light rays L
10
. Therefore, only the remaining amount of UV light rays L
10
activates the photocatalyst layer
20
.
As well known, water(generally liquid) can easily transmit visible light rays, while it absorbs short wavelength light rays L
10
such as UV rays instead of transmitting.
Accordingly, in the prior art, an efficiency of short wavelength light rays L
10
used for activation of photocatalyst is too low, because the object “OB” is existing between the short wavelength light source
210
and the photocatalyst layer
20
of the photocatalyst device
300
.
Therefore, the prior art has such disadvantage that an effective use is not made for the short wavelength light rays L
10
radiating(emitting) from the short wavelength light source
210
and a large volume of the short wavelength light source
210
with high power is required to accelerate a photocatalyst reaction in the photocatalyst reactor
300
and
210
.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A main object of the invention is to provide a new method for activating photocatalyst, new device and reactor, including photocatalyst.
A further main object of the invention is to provide new method for activating photocatalyst, new device and reactor, including photocatalyst, in which a photocatalyst layer supported on a substrate is not required to exist or present between an object to be cleans
Snider Theresa T.
Warden, Sr. Robert J.
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