TITANIUM DIOXIDE PHOTOCATALYSIS AN ADVANCED OXIDATION PROCESS TO IMPROVE AIR QUALITY
Despite recent advances in clean energy technology, air pollution continues to pose a major threat to the environment and human health as a whole. Densely populated cities from Beijing to Los Angeles struggle to mitigate the detrimental effects of smog from car exhaust and industrial factories, and airborne bacterial accumulation on household surfaces and building facades carry serious potential health risks. However, over the past several decades scientists and engineers have made major strides in the development and implementation of titanium dioxide photocatalysis as a viable solution to the crisis of air pollution. This specialized advanced oxidation process harnesses the energy from ultraviolet radiation to initiate redox reactions on the compound's surface that convert pollutants in the atmosphere into non hazardous materials that are easily broken down by the environment. This paper will begin by introducing and explaining the concept of advanced oxidation processes and how they treat air pollution. Then it will narrow in scope to discuss titanium dioxide photocatalysis and examine the potential it has in combating the environmental air crisis by explaining the complex chemistry involved in the reaction process. Finally, the paper will focus on the implementation of the specific technology of titanium dioxide nanoparticle coatings and their various environmental and health benefits.