Inactivation of spores of Bacillus subtilis on UV-irradiated TiO2 thin films

S. M. ZACARÍAS; M. C. VACCARI; H. A. IRAZOQUI; G. E. IMOBERDORF; O. M. ALFANO

Praga

Congreso; Solar Chemistry and Photocatalysis: Environmental Applications; 2010

Institute of Chemical Technology, Prague (ICT Prague)

Photocatalytic processes are considered an interesting technological alternative for the decontamination of polluted air and water from different sources. The applicability of photocatalysis for the inactivation of contaminating microorganisms in air has received increasing attention in the last years. In this work, a kinetic expression of the photocatalytic inactivation rate of Bacillus subtilis spores on UV-irradiated TiO2 films supported on borosilicate glass plates is derived from an inactivation scheme. The rate of photon absorption in the TiO2 catalyst, was predicted by using CFD software (Fluent 6.3). The kinetic expression derived from the proposed inactivation scheme shows the effect of the rate of photon absorption on the spore inactivation rate