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?:abstract
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Since COVID-19 pandemic, indoor air quality control has become a priority, and the development of air purification devices effective for disinfecting airborne viruses and bacteria is of outmost relevance In this work, a photocatalytic device for the removal of airborne microorganisms is presented It is an annular reactor filled with TiO(2)-coated glass rings and irradiated internally and externally by UV-A lamps B subtilis spores and vegetative cells have been employed as model biological pollutants Three types of assays with aerosolized bacterial suspensions were performed to evaluate distinct purification processes: filtration, photocatalytic inactivation in the air phase, and photocatalytic inactivation over the TiO(2)-coated rings The radiation distribution inside the reactor was analysed by performing Monte Carlo simulations of photon absorption in the photocatalytic bed Complete removal of a high load of microorganisms in the air stream could be achieved in 1 h Nevertheless, inactivation of retained bacteria in the reactor bed required longer irradiation periods: after 8 h under internal and external irradiation, the initial concentration of retained spores and vegetative cells was reduced by 68% and 99%, respectively Efficiency parameters were also calculated to evaluate the influence of the irradiation conditions on the photocatalytic inactivation of bacteria attached at the coated rings
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