title: Photocatalytic elimination of indoor air biological and chemical pollution in realistic conditions.
abstract: The photocatalytic elimination of microorganisms from indoor air in realistic conditions and the feasibility of simultaneous elimination of chemical contaminants have been studied at laboratory scale. Transparent polymeric monoliths have been coated with sol-gel TiO(2) films and used as photocatalyst to treat real indoor air in a laboratory-scale single-step annular photocatalytic reactor. The analytical techniques used to characterize the air quality and analyze the results of the photocatalytic tests were: colony counting, microscopy and PCR with subsequent sequencing for microbial quantification and identification; automated thermal desorption coupled to gas chromatography with mass spectrometry detection for chemical analysis. The first experiments performed proved that photocatalysis based on UVA-irradiated TiO(2) for the reduction of the concentration of bacteria in the air could compete with the conventional photolytic treatment with UVC radiation, more expensive and hazardous. Simultaneously to the disinfection, the concentration of volatile organic compounds was greatly reduced, which adds value to this technology for real applications. The fungal colony number was not apparently modified.
authors.affiliation: CIEMAT, Photocatalytic Treatment of Pollutants in Air, Avda. Complutense, 40, Ed42, 28040 Madrid, Spain. benigno.sanchez@ciemat.es
authors.forename: Benigno
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Sánchez
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sánchez-Muñoz
authors.forename: María
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Muñoz-Vicente
authors.forename: Guillermo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cobas
authors.forename: Raquel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Portela
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Suárez
authors.forename: Aldo E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: González
authors.forename: Nuria
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Rodríguez
authors.forename: Ricardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Amils
mesh_terms: D000391:Air Microbiology; D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000737:chemistry*; D016902:Air Pollution, Indoor / Q000032:analysis*; D004203:Disinfection / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D052918:Environmental Restoration and Remediation / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D055668:Photochemical Processes; D014025:Titanium / Q000737:chemistry; D055549:Volatile Organic Compounds / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D055549:Volatile Organic Compounds; C009495:titanium dioxide; D014025:Titanium