Issue 22, 2010

Inorganic materials for photocatalytic water disinfection

Abstract

Traditional water disinfection methods such as chlorination and ozonation inevitably form harmful disinfection by-products (DBPs). UV irradiation is a safe alternative but it is very energy intensive. It makes perfect sense to enhance the utilization of photons by integrating engineered photocatalytic nanostructures in the treatment system. UV-light active photocatalytic inorganic nanomaterials, such as titania, are capable of inactivating various bacteria and viruses. They work by generating powerful but short-lived oxygen-based radicals upon irradiation. Unlike conventional chemical disinfectants, the antimicrobial nanomaterials are not consumed in the process. Photocatalytic water disinfection is a green technology because the same materials can be used over and over again. This paper reviews the recent progress in the fabrication of inorganic nanomaterials for photocatalytic water disinfection. A variety of UV and even visible-light driven water disinfection systems are introduced. Their advantages and limitations as well as the antimicrobial mechanisms are discussed.

Graphical abstract: Inorganic materials for photocatalytic water disinfection

Article information

Article type
Feature Article
Submitted
02 Dec 2009
Accepted
17 Feb 2010
First published
22 Mar 2010

J. Mater. Chem., 2010,20, 4529-4536

Inorganic materials for photocatalytic water disinfection

D. Zhang, G. Li and J. C. Yu, J. Mater. Chem., 2010, 20, 4529 DOI: 10.1039/B925342D

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Spotlight

Advertisements