Application of TiO2 photocatalysis for air treatment: Patents' overview

A review of patents on the application of titanium dioxide photocatalysis for air treatment is presented. A comparison between water treatment and air treatment reveals that the number of scientific publications dedicated to photocatalytic air treatment is significantly lower than the number of scientific manuscripts dedicated to photocatalytic water treatment, yet the situation is reversed upon comparing relevant patents. This indicates a growing interest in the implementation of photocatalysis for air treatment purposes, which surpasses that of water treatment. This manuscript analyzes the various patents in the area of air treatment, while differentiating between indoor air treatment and outdoor air treatment. Specific efforts were made to characterize the main challenges and achievements en-route for successful implementation, which were categorized according to mass transport, adsorption of contaminants, quantum efficiency, deactivation, and, no less important, the adherence and the long term stability of the photocatalyst. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.