Claims:CLAIMS:-
We claim:

1. A mechanical stirring photocatalytic reactor (100) for industrial wastewater treatment having:
a photocatalytic reactor wood chamber (101) and coated with mica sheet for heat insulation;
a beaker (102) filled with an industrial wastewater and an activated carbon ferrite nanoparticles rested on an adjustable base (103) at the bottom of said chamber (101);
said chamber (101) containing an elongated light source (104) along a vertical axis, radiating light outwardly;
a toggle switch (105) being connected with said light source (104) to on/off the light source;
a SMPS (106); and
an exhaust fan (107) at the middle of said chamber (101) provided for removing a toxic gas and heat from the chamber (101);
characterized in that,
a mechanical stirring assembly includes a DC motor (201) mechanically connected with a rotor shaft (202) which being capable to mix said activated carbon ferrite nanocomposites (203) with said wastewater; a speed controller (204) connected with said DC motor (201); a proxy sensor (205) being attached with said rotor shaft (202) to sense the rotation of said rotor shaft (202); a rpm counter (206) connected with said proxy sensor (205).

2. The mechanical stirring photocatalytic reactor (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said light sources (104) having two UV light sources of 254 nm (104a) and 365 nm (104b) wavelength and one multi-wavelength light source (104c).

3. The mechanical stirring photocatalytic reactor (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said UV light source (104a, 104b) being capable to kill the microorganisms in the wastewater.

4. The mechanical stirring photocatalytic reactor (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein UV light source (104a, 104b) and multi-wavelength light source (104b) being capable to generate a photo Fenton effect to degrade the organic pollutants from the wastewater.

5. The mechanical stirring photocatalytic reactor (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said rotor shaft (202) mechanically connected to said DC motor (201) being capable to mix said activated carbon ferrite nanocomposites (203) with wastewater in the presence of said light source to enhance the chemical reaction.

6. The mechanical stirring photocatalytic reactor (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the user being capable to turn on the required light source and rest turn off through the toggle switches (105).

7. The mechanical stirring photocatalytic reactor (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said SMPS (106) converts 230 V (AC) to 12 V (DC) and being connected with said mechanical stirring assembly.

8. The mechanical stirring photocatalytic reactor (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said activated carbon ferrite nanocomposites (203) being used as a photocatalytic nanoparticles which are magnetic and having a highly porous structure.

9. The mechanical stirring photocatalytic reactor (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said activated carbon ferrite nanocomposites (203) being capable to absorb hazardous organic dyes and elements from the industrial wastewater.

Dated this 04 October, 2021

, Description:
FORM 2
THE PATENTS ACT, 1970
(39 OF 1970)
&
The Patents Rules, 2003
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
(See section 10; rule 13)

1. Title of the invention – A MECHANICAL STIRRING PHOTOCATALYTIC REACTOR

2. Applicant(s)

(a) NAME : R K University
(b) NATIONALITY: INDIAN
(c) ADDRESS: RK University, Bhavnagar Highway, Kasturbadham Rajkot- 360020, Gujarat, India

3. PREAMBLE TO THE DESCRIPTION

The following specification particularly describes the invention and the manner in which it is to be performed.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION:

The present invention relates to a mechanical stirring photocatalytic reactor. More particularly, it relates to a mechanical stirring photocatalytic reactor that degrade organic dyes and kill microorganisms from industrial wastewater.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION:

In the present scenario, industrial wastewater pollutes natural water resources. The main sources of industrial wastewater are paper industries, rubber industries, dying industries, plastic industries, leather industries, and many more industries. The output of the wastewater of these industries is merged with natural resources of water. The natural resources of water are polluted with harmful chemicals, organic dye and residues of harmful elements, microorganisms and bad odour’s. These wastewater affecting the living bodies inside water and on the earth.

Since the industrial revolution, this release of harmful emissions and discharge into the environment has adversely impacted the environment and human health. For example, emissions from a variety of stationary and mobile sources generate a variety of pollutants, such as sulphur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and certain volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Such pollutants and their subsequent derivatives are known to be responsible for visibility degradation, acid rain, property damage and various health problems.

While the rate of development and waste production are not likely to diminish going forward, efforts to control and dispose of wastes appropriately are increasing. Two of the most important considerations regarding waste control is the protection of the earth's potable water supply and air quality.

Although there are several conventional pollution control techniques available, the development of new or improved technology is important in overcoming the limitations of current technologies. For example, photocatalyst based technology has been shown to degrade certain pollutants with minimal energy input. As a result, the use of photocatalyst in pollution control systems is generally regarded as a promising technique. However, photocatalyst based technology has generally provided relatively slow overall reaction kinetics, with the exception of a slurry system that is used for water purification.

Catalytic action results when a catalytic agent reduces the activation energy required to drive a chemical reaction to completion. In ordinary heterogeneous catalysis, the activation energy, Ea, is provided by heat and the catalyst reduces the amount of heat required. Hence, the catalyst permits driving the chemical reaction at a faster rate at a given temperature or alternatively, lowers the temperature at which a given reaction rate occurs. In contrast, in photocatalysis, the Ea is provided by the photon energy of the incident light.

Photocatalysis is distinct from ordinary heterogeneous catalysis in that it employs visible and ultraviolet (UV) radiation to facilitate chemical reactions rather than thermal energy (i.e., heat). Light has a very high free energy content and can be converted into high levels of electron excitation energy when absorbed by semiconductors. Thus, optically excited semiconductors can drive chemical reactions, even at room temperature, by providing Ea in the form of high energy electrons and holes. Although the infrared (IR) part of the spectrum is also considered electromagnetic radiation, its absorption by matter normally results in only heating of the catalyst and/or chemical reactants. Thus, in ordinary catalysis, thermal energy derived from IR irradiation, direct heating or even microwave irradiation, manifests itself as an elevated temperature (increased energy of translational, rotational, and vibrational modes) of the chemical reactants and the catalyst for providing the activation energy for the chemical reaction. The ordinary catalyst is generally optically passive, and only provides an adsorbing surface for diminishing the activation energy of reactants.

As a result, the role played by IR, visible, and UV light in ordinary catalysis compared to photocatalysis is fundamentally different. In contrast to ordinary catalysis, in heterogeneous photocatalysis, the catalyst's optical properties become important. Photocatalysts are generally semiconductor materials. By absorption of appropriate light having energies which can provide the semiconductor band-gap energy, electron and hole carrier pairs are produced within the photocatalyst particles. These charged carriers can then perform redox reactions with the adjacent chemical species. Ordinary catalytic properties, as described above, may also be a feature of the photocatalytic process. Additionally, ordinary thermal processes may also play a secondary role in reaction kinetics. However, the distinguishing feature of photocatalytic reactions is that the activation energy of reaction results primarily from optical processes and the subsequent generation and transfer of electrons and holes (i.e., redox chemistry), rather than just heating.

Certain solid-phase semiconductors, such as TiO2, ZnO and Fe2O3, have been shown to be excitable by near-UV light, available from sunlight or from a man-made generator. In the presence of water and oxygen, the redox reaction produces hydroxyl radicals. The hydroxyl radicals that are generated can oxidize most organic pollutants, as they do in UV/ozone treatment and UV/hydrogen peroxide systems. Given sufficient organic wastes, exposure time will be oxidized into CO2 and water, and in the case of halogenated compounds, weak mineral acids. This reaction rate depends on the organic matrix to be treated, the reactor design, and the photon flux. Relevant reactor design parameters include photocatalyst loading, and contact between pollutants and the photocatalyst.

There are many prior arts disclosing the photocatalyst reactor for industrial waste water treatment. The document US20080045770A1 discloses photocatalyst nanocomposites which can be used to destroying biological agents includes a carbon nanotube core, and a photocatalyst coating layer covalently or ionically bound to a surface of the nanotube core. The coating layer has a nanoscale thickness. A method of forming photocatalytic nanocomposites includes the steps of providing a plurality of dispersed carbon nanotubes, chemically oxidizing the nanotubes under conditions to produce surface functionalized nanotubes to provide C and O including groups thereon which form ionic or covalent bonds to metal oxides, and processing a metal oxide photocatalyst sol-gel precursor in the presence of the nanotubes, wherein a nanoscale metal oxide photocatalyst layer becomes covalently or ionically bound to the nanotubes.

The document WO1997037936A1 discloses a photocatalytic reactor suitable for water purification and comprising a housing having inlet means for feeding the reactor with polluted water, outlet means for removing the treated water from the reactor, at least one light conductor means and at least one UV-source capable of emitting UV-light into and through the light conducting means. Preferably, the light conducting means is a hollow tube made of quartz glass or Pyrex glass. Most preferably, the photocatalytic reactor is provided with a UV-tube light which is coated on its surface with a photocatalyst. The photocatalytic reactor is suitable for the purification of waste water containing toxic organic pollutants.

The document US20020187082A1 discloses a magnetic photocatalyst composite particle includes a magnetic composition and at least one photocatalyst particle secured to the magnetic composition. The magnetic photocatalyst composite particles can be nano-sized. The magnetic photocatalyst composite particles permit high levels of photocatalytic chemical activity to be combined with controllable particle movement and allow the formation of improved reactors for the treatment of water and air.

The problem with prior photocatalytic reactors are organic dyes are not degrade from the industrial waste water, not kills all the microorganisms from the industrial wastewater, person not able to observe through the eyes as the box is not transparent and it purifies less amount of water at the single time.

To overcome the problem, the inventor of present invention have good solution for low cost photocatalyst reactor for wastewater treatment. First and very most important part is to treat wastewater at laboratory scale to check the usability of the photocatalytic materials for the degradation of pollutants. The inventors of the present invention designed and developed a novel photocatalytic reactor that can remove the organic dye and kill microorganisms at lab-scale. This photocatalytic reactor works on the principle of mechanical stirring of industrial wastewater & nano photocatalytic particles in the presence of ultraviolet light.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION:

The principle object of the present invention is to overcome all the mentioned and existed drawbacks of the prior arts by providing a mechanical stirring photocatalytic reactor.

Another object of the present invention to provide a mechanical stirring photocatalytic reactor that degrade organic dyes and kill microorganisms from industrial wastewater.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a mechanical stirring photocatalytic reactor that purifies the 100 ml to 1000 ml industrial wastewater at a time.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a mechanical stirring photocatalytic reactor that uses the UV light to kill the microorganisms.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a photocatalytic reactor works on the principle of mechanical stirring of industrial wastewater & nano photocatalytic particles in the presence of ultraviolet light.

Yet, another object of the present invention is to provide a mechanical stirring photocatalytic reactor made of transparent material through which a person can observe the operation continuously.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION:

In view of the prior technology photocatalytic reactors are not reliable for use and also not user friendly, it is tried by the inventor to develop a mechanical stirring photocatalytic reactor. The reactor of the system disclosed herein is compact and weight of the system is lighter. The prior technologies of the reactor is complicated to carry as well as consume more storage. The initial cost for manufacturing is higher.

The present invention is all about the mechanical stirring photocatalytic reactor that degrade organic dyes and kill microorganisms from industrial wastewater.

The main aspect of the present invention is to provide mechanical stirring photocatalytic reactor for industrial wastewater treatment having a photocatalytic reactor wood chamber and coated with mica sheet for heat insulation; a beaker filled with an industrial wastewater and an activated carbon ferrite nanocomposites suspended into a beaker; said chamber containing an elongated light source along a vertical axis, radiating light outwardly; a toggle switch being connected with said light source to on/off the light source; a SMPS; and an exhaust fan at the middle of said chamber provided for removing a toxic gas and heat from the chamber; characterized in that, a mechanical stirring assembly includes a DC motor mechanically connected with a rotor shaft which being capable to mix said activated carbon ferrite nanocomposites with said wastewater; a speed controller connected with said DC motor; a proxy sensor being attached with said rotor shaft to sense the rotation of said rotor shaft; a rpm counter connected with said proxy sensor.

As per another aspect of the present invention is to provide mechanical stirring photocatalytic reactor in which the rotor shaft mechanically connected to said DC motor being capable to mix said activated carbon ferrite nanoparticle with wastewater in the presence of said light source to enhance the chemical reaction.
As per one aspect of the present invention is to provide a mechanical stirring photocatalytic reactor in which the activated carbon ferrite nanoparticles being capable to absorb hazardous organic dyes and elements from the industrial wastewater.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS:

The foregoing summary, as well as the following detailed description of the invention, is better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. For the purpose of illustrating the invention, exemplary constructions of the invention are shown in the drawings.
FIG.1 represents the mechanical stirring photocatalytic reactor of the present invention.

FIG.2 represent the graph of the experiment without the use of the mechanical stirring.

FIG.3 represent the graph of the experiment with the use of the mechanical stirring

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION:

Detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein, however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention, which may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific functional and structural details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed structure.

Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the invention belongs.

The present invention overcomes problem of available photocatalytic reactor. The object, features, and advantages of the present invention will now be described in greater detail. Also, the following description includes various specific details and is to be regarded as merely exemplary. Accordingly, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that: without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure and its various embodiments there may be any number of changes and modifications described herein.

It must also be noted that as used herein and in the appended claims, the singular forms "a", "an," and "the" include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Although any systems and methods similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of embodiments of the present invention, the preferred, systems are now described.

The present invention mainly discloses a mechanical stirring photocatalytic reactor (100) that degrade organic dyes and kill microorganisms from industrial wastewater.

The main embodiment of the present invention is a mechanical stirring photocatalytic reactor (100) for industrial wastewater treatment having a photocatalytic reactor wood chamber (101) and coated with mica sheet for heat insulation; a beaker (102) filled with an industrial wastewater and an activated carbon ferrite nanoparticles rested on an adjustable base (103) at the bottom of said chamber (101); said chamber (101) containing an elongated light source (104) along a vertical axis, radiating light outwardly; a toggle switch (105) being connected with said light source (104) to on/off the light source; a SMPS (106); and an exhaust fan (107) at the middle of said chamber (101) provided for removing a toxic gas and heat from the chamber (101) characterized in that, a mechanical stirring assembly includes a DC motor (201) mechanically connected with a rotor shaft (202) which being capable to mix said activated carbon ferrite nanoparticles (203) with said wastewater; a speed controller (204) connected with said DC motor (201); a proxy sensor (205) being attached with said rotor shaft (202) to sense the rotation of said rotor shaft (202); a rpm counter (206) connected with said proxy sensor (205).

As per detail embodiment of the present invention is the photocatalytic reactor wood chamber (101) which made of wood and coated with mica sheets. Wood is a good insulator of heat as well as electricity and it is shockproof material. The dimensions of the photocatalytic reactor (100) are 35 cm (length) x 30 cm (width) x 40 cm (height).

As per another embodiment of the present invention is a beaker (102) filled with the industrial waste water and said beaker rested on the adjustable base (103). Said beaker also having an activated carbon ferrite nanoparticles (203) mixed with the industrial waste water to kill the microorganisms from the industrial waste water.

As per another embodiment of the present invention is the chamber (101) containing an elongated light source (104) along a vertical axis, radiating light outwardly. The light source (104) having two UV light sources (104a) and one multi-wavelength light source (104b). The UV light sources (104a) are of 254 nm and 365 nm wavelength. The UV light source (104a) being capable to kill the microorganisms in the wastewater. The UV light source (104a) and multi-wavelength light source (104b) being capable to generate a photo Fenton effect to degrade the organic pollutants from the wastewater.

As per the some other embodiment of the present invention is the toggle switches (105) provided for the selection of the necessary light source (104). The user can ON the UV light source (104a) alone or multi-wavelength light source (104b) alone or both at the single time to kill the microorganisms from the industrial waste water.

As per another embodiment of the present invention, the SMPS (106) converts 230 V (AC) to 12 V (DC). The SMPS connected to DC motor, proxy sensor, and rpm counter to provide the required power to all.

As per another embodiment of the present invention, the adjustable base (103) adjusted as per the size of the beaker (102). The height of the base can be adjusted by removing or adding the fixed sized of blocks. The adjustable base (103) height for specific beaker capacity as per below:

Beaker capacity (ml) Height of the base (cm)
250 12
500 10
1000 06

As per another embodiment of the present invention, during the experiment toxic gas or heat can be generated. The exhaust fan (107) provided to remove this toxic gas or heat from the photocatalytic reactor. The exhaust fan (107) helps to maintain the temperature of the photocatalyst reactor (100).

As per the detailed embodiment of the present invention, the mechanical stirring assembly includes a DC motor (201) mechanically connected with a rotor shaft (202) which being capable to mix said activated carbon ferrite nanoparticles (203) with said wastewater; a speed controller (204) connected with said DC motor (201); a proxy sensor (205) being attached with said rotor shaft (202) to sense the rotation of said rotor shaft (202); a rpm counter (206) connected with said proxy sensor (205).

As per another embodiment of the present invention, the rotor shaft (202) mechanically connected to said DC motor (201) being capable to mix said activated carbon ferrite nanoparticle (203) with wastewater in the presence of said light source to enhance the chemical reaction.

As per another embodiment of the present invention, activated carbon ferrite nanoparticle (203) composite used as a photocatalytic nanoparticle. These nanoparticles have a highly porous structure and magnetic in nature. activated carbon ferrite nanoparticle (203) can adsorb hazardous organic dyes and harmful elements from industrial wastewater. These nanoparticles have been synthesized in our laboratory using sol-gel auto combustion method. The mechanical stirring photocatalytic reactor (100) purifies the 100 ml to 1000 ml industrial wastewater at a time.

Referring to FIG.1, it shows the mechanical stirring photocatalytic reactor (100). The mechanical stirring photocatalytic reactor (100) having the wooden chamber (100). The wooden chamber (101) coated with the mica sheets for the heat insulation. The wooden chamber (101) has transparent part to observe the experiment continuously. The beaker (102) rested on the adjustable base (103) inside the chamber (101) filled with the industrial waste water and the activated carbon ferrite nanoparticles (203) to kill the microorganism from the industrial waste water. The light sources (104) elongated on the vertical axis inside the wooden chamber (101) having two UV light sources (104a) and one multi-wavelength light source (104b). During the purification of the industrial waste water, the toxic gas and heat generated inside the wooden chamber (101). To remove the heat and toxic gas outside, the exhaust fan (107) provided. The mechanical stirring assembly having DC motor (201) mechanically connected with the rotor shaft (202). The rotor shaft (202) rotates and mix the activated carbon nanoparticles (203) into the industrial waste water. The proxy senor (205) being attached with the rotor shaft (202) to sense the rotation of the rotor shaft (202).

The present invention was experimented and illustrated more in details in the following example. The example describes and demonstrates embodiments within the scope of the present invention. This example was given solely for the purpose of illustration and is not to be construed as limitations of the present invention, as many variations thereof are possible without departing from spirit and scope.

Example:
In this experiment, 500 ml wastewater can pour into the beaker and add 10 mg activated carbon ferrite nanoparticles (203) into the wastewater as shown in figure (1). Then, the beaker (102) is kept into the photocatalytic wooden chamber (101) where the rotor shaft (202) is immersed into the beaker (102) to stir the solution. To irradiate the UV light source (104a) of the selected wavelength (e.g. wavelength 254 nm), one can toggle the switch (105) and simultaneously rotation can be applied through the rotor shaft (202). The stirring speed can be control by controller (204) which is attached to the rotor shaft (202). For this dye degradation experiment, after one minute, UV light source (104a) is switched off and effect of reaction can be checked. To observe the results, take the beaker (102) outside and filter the mixture of wastewater and activated carbon nanoparticles (203) composite and pour into quartz cell of a spectrophotometer and note down the absorbance of sample using a spectrophotometer. Through this experiment, observed that within couple of minutes, the resultant water is purified.

The abovementioned experiment performed without the mechanical stirring assembly and with the mechanical stirring assembly. The Result of the experiment without the mechanical stirring has shown into the Fig. 2. The industrial wastewater (blue color) procured from the local industry and poured it into the beaker (500 ml) and added activated carbon nanoparticle (202) composite (10 mg) into it. The beaker (102) putted into the photocatalytic chamber (101) and switch on the light source (104). After five minutes, filter the industrial wastewater (5 ml) and poured it into the quartz cell of a spectrophotometer and note the absorbance of the sample using the spectrophotometer. It has been observed that after forty-five minutes, the industrial wastewater has been purified as shown in figure (2).

The above-mentioned experiment has been carried out with mechanical stirring (500 rpm). The Result of the experiment with the mechanical stirring has shown into the Fig. 3. After one minute, filter the industrial wastewater (5 ml) and poured it into the quartz cell of a spectrophotometer and note the absorbance of the sample using the spectrophotometer. It has been observed that after five minutes, the industrial wastewater has been purified as shown in figure (3). It is observed that with the use of the mechanical stirring the purification of the water is faster.

Without further description, it is believed that one of ordinary skill in the art can, using the preceding description and the illustrative examples, make and utilize the present invention and practice the claimed methods. It should be understood that the foregoing discussion and examples merely present a detailed description of certain preferred embodiments. It will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that various modifications and equivalents can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS:
Mechanical stirring photocatalytic reactor (100)
Photocatalytic reactor wood chamber (101)
Beaker (102)
Adjustable base (103)
Light source (104)
Toggle switch (105)
SMPS (106)
Exhaust fan (107)
DC motor (201)
Rotor shaft (202)
Speed controller (204)
Proxy sensor (205)
RPM counter (206)