Special needs and characteristic features of (photo)catalytic reactors with a review of the proposed solutions

In the present chapter, the analogies between photocatalytic systems and the systems where the more common thermally activated reactions take place are highlighted. The objective is to propose a unified approach for the analysis and the design, which, however, must take into account how and why photocatalytic reactors differ from reactors with thermal reactions. The necessity of absorbing photons to activate the photocatalytic process adds complexity to the system, but some approaches are presented to simplify the problems and make easier their solution.