Effect of humic acid on visible light photocatalytic inactivation of bacteriophage f2 with electrospinning Cu-TiO 2 nanofibers: insight into the mechanisms

Photocatalytic disinfection is a promising technology with low cost and high efficiency. However, most of the current studies on photocatalytic disinfection ignore the widespread presence of natural organic matter (NOM) in water bodies, so the incomplete conclusions obtained may not be applicable. H...

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Published inEnvironmental science and pollution research international Vol. 31; no. 20; p. 30212
Main Authors Cheng, Rong, Xia, Jin-Cheng, Shen, Liang-Jie, Shen, Zhi-Peng, Shi, Lei, Zheng, Xiang, Zheng, Jian-Zhong
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Germany 01.04.2024
Subjects
Bacteriophages
Catalysis
Copper - chemistry
Copper - pharmacology
Disinfection - methods
Humic Substances
Light
Nanofibers - chemistry
Titanium - chemistry
Titanium - pharmacology
Electrospinning nanofibers
Mechanisms
Reactive oxygen species (ROSs)
Photocatalytic disinfection
Humic acid
Bacteriophage f2
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Summary:Photocatalytic disinfection is a promising technology with low cost and high efficiency. However, most of the current studies on photocatalytic disinfection ignore the widespread presence of natural organic matter (NOM) in water bodies, so the incomplete conclusions obtained may not be applicable. Herein, this paper systematically studied the influence of humic acid (HA), one of the most important components of NOM, on the photocatalytic inactivation of bacteriophage f2 with electrospinning Cu-TiO nanofibers. We found that with the addition of HA, the light transmittance of the solution at 550 nm decreased from 94 to 60%, and the band gap of the photocatalyst was increased from 2.96 to 3.05 eV. Compared with reacting without HA, the degradation amount of RNA of f2 decreased by 88.7% after HA was added, and the RNA concentration increased from 1.95 to 4.38 ng·μL after the reaction. Hence, we propose mechanisms of the effect of HA on photocatalytic disinfection: photo-shielding, passivation of photocatalysts, quenching of free radicals, and virus protection. Photo-shielding and photocatalyst passivation lead to the decrease of photocatalyst activity, and the reactive oxygen species (ROSs) (·OH, ·O , O , H O ) are further trapped by HA. The HA in water also can protect the shape of phage f2 and reduce the leakage of protein and the destruction of ribonucleic acid (RNA). This work provides an insight into the mechanisms for the influence of HA in photocatalytic disinfection process and a theoretical basis for its practical application.
ISSN:1614-7499