Innovative photoreactors for unconventional photocatalytic processes: the photoreduction of CO2 and the photo-oxidation of ammonia

Solar energy, along with other renewable resources, is going to play a key role in waste treatments and CO2 conversion. Photocatalytic technologies can be considered an effective solution for these purposes. This work summarises the setup of two different reactor configurations for two challenging processes: nitrate/ammonia abatement from water and CO2 photoreduction. The project goal was the setup of proper photoreactors and the preliminary investigation of some critical operating process parameters. Concerning the CO2 photoreduction, large efforts have been devoted to study an innovative high-pressure reactor developed properly to overcome the main limitation of the reaction, i.e. the limited solubility of carbon dioxide in water. On the other hand, nitrate and ammonia conversion was investigated, exploring the reactor setup and the analysis of critical products such as nitrogen.