Continuous near-complete photocatalytic degradation of toluene by V/N-doped TiO2 loaded on honeycomb ceramics under UV irradiation.

• The adhesion of V/N-TiO 2 to the honeycomb ceramics leads to real-time continuous and near-complete photodegradation removal of toluene due to the synergistic effect. • The catalyst shows excellent cyclic stability and can be reused. • The overall performance of this V/N-TiO 2 @HC flow photoreactor is among the highest compared with state-of-the-art technologies. Photocatalytic degradation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) is a significant applying aspect of photocatalysis. Both the modulation of photocatalysts and the rational dispersion of them on supports are key for solar-driven VOC degradation. Conventional batch-type photoreactors have low efficiency while continuous-flow photoreactors suffer from the problem of incomplete removal of VOCs. Herein, aiming for continuous and complete degradation of toluene gas as the target contaminant, continuous-flow photocatalytic degradation reactors were made by adhering the vanadium and nitrogen codoped TiO 2 on honeycomb ceramics (V/N-TiO 2 @HC) by a simple sol-gel method. In such a reactor, the rich ordered pores in the HC accelerate mass transport of toluene, and the introduction of V/N dopants narrows the bandgap and widens the light absorption range of TiO 2 , together resulting in continuous and nearly-complete photocatalytic degradation of toluene. The unique and stable structure of HC allows the photocatalysts to be reused. The degradation rate of toluene gas can reach 97.8%, and after 24 rounds of photocatalytic degradation, there is still a degradation rate of 96.7%. The impacts of loading times and gaseous flow rate on the photocatalytic performance of V/N-TiO 2 @HC are studied in detail. Our study provides a practical solution for the continuous and complete photocatalytic degradation of VOCs and opens a new application field for HC. This work reports the continuous-flow photocatalytic degradation reactors using vanadium and nitrogen-codoped TiO 2 coated on honeycomb ceramics (V/N-TiO 2 @HC) by a simple sol-gel method. These reactors effectively degraded toluene gas with a nearly complete degradation rate of 97.8%, providing a practical solution for the volatile organic compounds. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]