Investigation of Titanium Dioxide Effectiveness of BTX Photocatalytic Oxidation for Automotive Applications Using Advanced Optimisation Algorithms

This paper constitutes the approach of determination the benzene, toluene and xylene (BTX) oxidation properties of titanium dioxide at condition simulating the passenger compartment. Here the oxidation properties of the catalytic agent are considered as its effectiveness. The factors which were under investigation was the temperature, UV light length and the time of pollutant exposition to the catalytic agent. In order to investigate full range of possible solution, the level of variance of all input factors was chosen to be in the maximal possible value which can occur inside a passenger car. Furthermore the experiment was performed according to static, three—dimensional full factorial plan which allowed to developed models of the catalytic agent BTX removal properties. In order to unify the investigation the results were presented as a percentage change of benzene toluene and xylene with respect to the first—reference sample. In consequence the models of titanium dioxide effectiveness are expressed as a second degree polynomial predicting the percentage change of BTX with respect to temperature, UV light length and the time of pollutant exposition. Those models were farther multi objectively optimized in the Pareto sense which allowed to determine optimal condition for the catalytic agent effectiveness within the assumed range of input factors. The complexity of the research and results analyses required usability a variety of computer software starting form constructional software—Autodesk Inventor ending on advanced mathematical environment in which the results were optimised—Matlab optimisation toolbox.