Flow actinometry in a thin film reactor: modeling and measurements

Flow actinometry was planned, modeled and carried out in a thin film (0.04 cm) reactor to study the photomineralization of halogenated organic compounds over a thin TiO2 layer in a flowing thin film. On the basis of modeling, the parameters were optimized (0.15 M of potassium trioxalatoferrate(III) actinometric solution, an elution time of 3 tau where tau is the residence time of the reactor and tubes), and from the emittance spectra the expected light flux was predicted. The possible errors and their elimination are described. Finally the measured light flux of the Xe lamp between 300 and 400 nm was 11.45x10(16) qu s(-1), the expected computed value was 11.5x10(16) qu s(-1); the estimated error of accuracy was less than 1%, i.e. the deviation was 1.1%. The light flux between 300 and 380 nm can be computed by a correction factor 0.562. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.