CPC A61L 2/0047 (2013.01) [A23L 3/005 (2013.01); A61L 2/0076 (2013.01); B01J 21/063 (2013.01); B01J 35/004 (2013.01); A61L 2202/21 (2013.01)] | 24 Claims |
1. A method of disinfecting particulate material, the method comprising:
combining the particulate material with a photocatalyst to yield a mixture;
irradiating the mixture for a length of time with pulses from a light source having broadband emission spectrum between 190 nm-1100 nm to yield an irradiated mixture, wherein irradiating the mixture inactivates microorganisms in the mixture to yield a disinfected mixture; and
separating the photocatalyst from the disinfected mixture to yield the disinfected particulate matter,
wherein the photocatalyst is disposed on a substrate to yield a photocatalytic substrate, the substrate comprises a polymer, a metal, or a metal oxide, and a weight ratio of the photocatalyst to the photocatalytic substrate is in a range of 1:1 to 1:100.
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