Use of Visible Light Modulation Techniques in Urea Photocatalytic Degradation

The aim of this work was to analyze the effect of visible LED dimming duty-cycle modulation techniques in a photocatalytic system for urea degradation using a visible light photocatalyst immobilized on macroscopic supports. For this reason, the effect of different LED dimming techniques was investigated and compared in terms of urea degradation together with ammonia and nitrate production during the irradiation time. The experimental results evidenced that using a visible LED dimming modulation with variable-peak variable-duty pulse-width modulation (PWM) allows to improve the photocatalytic degradation process, with respect to classical LED dimming with fixed-peak fixed-duty PWM, and influences the product’s distribution of ammonia and nitrate in water. Therefore, the proof of concept herein proposed could be considered as preliminary potential results to be used in water recycling applications with a particular emphasis in recovery of urea photodegradation byproducts, such as ammonia, from wastewater that could be used as potential resources and an energy resource