This book collects the lectures delivered by the Authors during the NATO ASI "Fundamentals and Developments of Photocatalytic and Photoelectrochemical Processes", held in Erice (Trapani, Italy) from May 20th to June 2nd 1984. The ASI was devoted to the general field of photochemical conversion and storage of solar energy. It had the aim of defining the "state of art" and of outlining perspectives, lines of development and practic al utilization of this form of energy. The world energy crisis has stimulated scientists to investigate new routes for finding and testing methods and processes for obtaining renewable and cheap sources of energy. Within this framework, the possibility of solar energy utilization on a large scale must overcome the stage of discovering efficient processes for the photochemical conversion and for the storage. The most promising way for achieving this goal seems the photosplitting of water and related reactions. The methods for obtaining the water photosplitting are essentially based on photoelectrochemical cells and on photocatalytic systems (gas-solid and gas-liquid-solid). Extensive research work is currently done all over the world both in universities and in industrial laboratories in these areas. The ASI has given to the audience a general view of the fundamental aspects and as much as possible a detailed insight of the various methods and processes. A section has been also devoted to the photoreactors, a field in which the interest is ix x FOREWORD steadily increasing and whose development is essential for the practical exploitation of the various methods.

The cross-fertilization of physico-chemical and mathematical ideas has a long historical tradition. This volume of Advances in Chemical Engineering is almost completely dedicated to a conference on “Mathematics in Chemical Kinetics and Engineering (MaCKiE-2007), which was held in Houston in February 2007, bringing together about 40 mathematicians, chemists, and chemical engineers from 10 countries to discuss the application and development of mathematical tools in their respective fields. Updates and informs the reader on the latest research findings using original reviews Written by leading industry experts and scholars Reviews and analyzes developments in the field

Current Trends and Future Developments on (Bio-) Membranes: Photocatalytic Membranes and Photocatalytic Membrane Reactors offers a comprehensive review on the state-of-the-art in the area of PMs and PMRs. The book gives an overview of the basis of photocatalysis and membrane separation and the basic aspects of photocatalytic membranes and photocatalytic membrane reactors, along with their applications, modeling, and the economic aspects of PMs and PMRs. The book addresses the main issues associated with PMRs design and tries to predict how long it will be before laboratory scale models can be scaled to the PMR industry. Reviews new hybrid separation techniques based on photocatalysis and membranes Offers a detailed description of the various photocatalytic membrane reactors and their function Includes new membrane based separation techniques for the removal of emerging contaminants from water, such as pharmaceutical and personal care products Discusses numerous reactor configurations and various membrane materials for photocatalytic membranes Includes the modeling and economic aspects of various processes

The book explains the principles and fundamentals of photocatalysis and highlights the current developments and future potential of the green-chemistry-oriented applications of various inorganic, organic, and hybrid photocatalysts. The book consists of eleven chapters, including the principles and fundamentals of heterogeneous photocatalysis; the mechanisms and dynamics of surface photocatalysis; research on TiO2-based composites with unique nanostructures; the latest developments and advances in exploiting photocatalyst alternatives to TiO2; and photocatalytic materials for applications other than the traditional degradation of pollutants, such as carbon dioxide reduction, water oxidation, a complete spectrum of selective organic transformations and water splitting by photocatalytic reduction. In addition, heterogeneized polyoxometalate materials for photocatalytic purposes and the proper design of photocatalytic reactors and modeling of light are also discussed. This book appeals to a wide readership of the academic and industrial researchers and it can also be used in the classroom for undergraduate and graduate students focusing on heterogeneous photocatalysis, sustainable chemistry, energy conversion and storage, nanotechnology, chemical engineering, environmental protection, optoelectronics, sensors, and surface and interface science. Juan Carlos Colmenares is a Professor at the Institute of Physical Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Poland. Yi-Jun Xu is a Professor at the State Key Laboratory of Photocatalysis on Energy and Environment, College of Chemistry, Fuzhou University, China.

Nanotechnology is a 'catch-all' description of activities at the level of atoms and molecules that have applications in the real world. A nanometre is a billionth of a meter, about 1/80,000 of the diameter of a human hair, or 10 times the diameter of a hydrogen atom. Nanotechnology is now used in precision engineering, new materials development as well as in electronics; electromechanical systems as well as mainstream biomedical applications in areas such as gene therapy, drug delivery and novel drug discovery techniques. This book presents the latest research in this frontier field.

The book deals with the environmentally friendly cleaning materials functionalized with TiO2, a widely known semiconductor giving rise to redox reactions under artificial or solar irradiation. The role of Titanium dioxide in the worldwide community is introduced first. The fundamental working principles of heterogeneous photocatalysis follow and a critical section on the semiconductor bulk and surface properties open the way to the differences between TiO2 blend features with respect to analogous thin film layouts. Then follows the main section of the book which deals with the techniques applied to manufactured commercial devices, ranging from glasses to textiles and from concrete and other construction materials to paintings. Also road asphalt and other devices, such as photocatalytic air conditioning machines are outlined. Last generation materials, not yet commercialized, and the deposition techniques applied to prepare them are also widely discussed. The final part of the book covers the difficult and modern topic of standardization and comparison of performance of photocatalytic processes and in particular the guidelines proposed by various worldwide organizations for standardization are discussed. The book covers the general matters as well as the practical applications with the supporting methods discussed in detail. This book brings together a team of highly experienced and well-published experts in the field, providing a comprehensive view of the applications of supported titanium dioxide.