Utilization of TiO2 photocatalysts in green chemistry
Masakazu Anpo
Department of Applied Chemistry, Osaka Prefecture University,
Sakai, Osaka 599-8531, Japan
Abstract: Environmental pollution and destruction on a global
scale have drawn attention to the vital need for totally new environmentally
friendly, clean chemical technologies and processes, the most important
challenge facing chemical scientists in the field of green chemistry.
Strong contenders as environmentally harmonious catalysts are photocatalysts
that operate at room temperature and in a clean manner, while applications
of such safe photocatalytic systems are urgently desired for the purification
of polluted water, the decomposition of offensive atmospheric odors
as well as toxins, the fixation of CO2, and the decomposition
of NOx and chlorofluorocarbons on a huge global scale. To address such
enormous tasks, photocatalytic systems that are able to operate effectively
and efficiently not only under UV light but also under the most environmentally
ideal energy source, sunlight, must be established. To this end, we
are moving in a positive direction with various practical applications
already at hand, as is described.
The present report involves 1) new approaches in the design and development
of second-generation titanium oxide photocatalysts which can operate
effectively under visible light and/or solar beam irradiation, 2) practical
industrial applications of titanium oxide photocatalysts in Japan, and
3) recent advances in green chemistry in Japan.
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