Modelling photocatalytic detoxification of aflatoxin B1 in peanut oil on TiO2 layer in a closed-loop reactor

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is the most common and toxic among the aflatoxin group. Improper storage of both raw and processed peanut oil makes it susceptible to AFB1 production. Here, a closed-loop photocatalytic reactor consisting of a glass tube coated with TiO 2 as a catalyst has been developed to study the photocatalytic detoxification of AFB1 in peanut oil. The removal rates of AFB1 in the photocatalytic process were apparently higher than that of the photolysis process. It is inappropriate to approximate Langmuir–Hinshelwood kinetics by a first-order kinetic expression based on the experimental kinetic data for the photocatalytic process. The newly proposed Weibull distribution model provides a good description of the kinetics of the photocatalytic process over the ranges of initial AFB1 concentrations and light intensities studied. The key parameters affecting the detoxification efficiency in terms of the reliable life of this model are described.