Photocatalytic effect of TiO2 on hydrothermal gasification of glucose

The hybrid process of the hydrothermal gasification method and the TiO2 photocatalysis has been developed and tested for the gasification of glucose. TiO2 powder and those loaded with Pt or Ni were used as photocatalyst. 0.05 M glucose aqueous solutions suspending the photoctalysts were reacted by the flow-type reactor system in the dark or under near-UV illumination with pressure and temperature controlled to be 30 MPa and 350-450 0C, respectively. It was found that the evolutions of hydrogen and methane from glucose could be promoted by the photocatalytic action of TiO2 under hydrothermal conditions, which was further enhanced by supporting Pt and Ni on TiO2.