Visible-Light-Driven Photocatalytic Inactivation of Bacteria, Bacteriophages, and Their Mixtures Using ZnO-Coated HDPE Beads as Floating Photocatalyst.

Semiconductor materials used as photocatalysts are considered among the most effective ways to treat biologically polluted water. Certainly, efficiency depends on the selection of photocatalyst and its substrate, as well as the possibility of its application in a broader spectrum of light. In this study, a reactive magnetron sputtering technique was applied for the immobilisation of ZnO photocatalyst on the surface of HDPE beads, which were selected as the buoyant substrates for enhanced photocatalytic performance and easier recovery from the treated water. Moreover, the study compared the effect on the inactivation of the microorganism between ZnO-coated HDPE beads without Ni and with Ni underlayer. Crystal structure, surface morphology, and chemical bonds of as-deposited ZnO films were investigated by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, respectively. Visible-light-induced photocatalytic treatment was performed on the Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria and bacteriophages PRD1, T4, and their mixture. Higher bacteria inactivation efficiency was obtained using the ZnO photocatalyst with Ni underlayer for the treatment of S. Typhimurium and M. Luteus mixtures. As for infectivity of bacteriophages, T4 alone and in the mixture with PRD1 were more affected by the produced photocatalyst, compared with PRD1.

Photocatalytic Inactivation of Salmonella typhimurium by Floating Carbon-Doped TiO2 Photocatalyst.

Photocatalysis application is considered as one of the most highly promising techniques for the reduction in wastewater pollution. However, the majority of highly efficient photocatalyst materials are obtained as fine powders, and this causes a lot of photocatalyst handling and reusability issues. The concept of the floating catalyst proposes the immobilization of a photocatalytic (nano)material on relatively large floating substrates and is considered as an encouraging way to overcome some of the most challenging photocatalysis issues. The purpose of this study is to examine floating photocatalyst application for Salmonella typhimurium bacteria inactivation in polluted water. More specifically, high-density polyethylene (HDPE) beads were used as a photocatalyst support for the immobilization of carbon-doped TiO2 films forming floating photocatalyst structures. Carbon-doped TiO2 films in both amorphous and anatase forms were deposited on HDPE beads using the low-temperature magnetron sputtering technique. Bacteria inactivation, together with cycling experiments, revealed promising results by decomposing more than 95% of Salmonella typhimurium bacteria in five consecutive treatment cycles. Additionally, a thorough analysis of the deposited carbon-doped TiO2 film was performed including morphology, elemental composition and mapping, structure, and depth profiling. The results demonstrate that the proposed method is a suitable technique for the formation of high-quality photocatalytic active films on thermal-sensitive substrates.

Floating TiO2 photocatalyst for efficient inactivation of E. coli and decomposition of methylene blue solution.

The anatase phase TiO2 films with nanocrystalline structure were successfully deposited on a water-floating non-expanded polystyrene (PS) beads via magnetron sputtering. The combination of UVB light and PS beads with TiO2 film was used for decomposition of methylene blue as well as inactivation tests for intact and EDTA-treated Escherichia coli bacteria. Crystal structure, elemental composition, elemental mapping, surface morphology and chemical bonds of TiO2 film were investigated. E. coli inactivation experiments showed that such floating photocatalyst could destroy >90% bacteria in 45 min under UVB irradiation. Results demonstrated that combination of TiO2 and UVB light leads to disruption of the outer membrane which causes effective inactivation of E. coli bacteria.