US 11,890,386 B2
Disinfecting materials with intense pulsed light and catalytic microwave-assisted decontamination
Rongsheng Ruan, Arden Hills, MN (US); Yanling Cheng, St. Paul, MN (US); Nan Zhou, St. Paul, MN (US); Dongjie Chen, St. Paul, MN (US); Peng Peng, Lauderdale, MN (US); Yunpu Wang, St. Paul, MN (US); Renchuan Zhang, St. Paul, MN (US); Charles Schiappacasse, Maplewood, MN (US); and Ling Chen, Roseville, MN (US)
Assigned to Regents of the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN (US)
Filed by REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA, Minneapolis, MN (US)
Filed on Mar. 13, 2020, as Appl. No. 16/818,795.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/819,040, filed on Mar. 15, 2019.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/883,557, filed on Aug. 6, 2019.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/883,915, filed on Aug. 7, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2020/0289681 A1, Sep. 17, 2020
Int. Cl. A61L 2/00 (2006.01); B01J 35/00 (2006.01); B01J 21/06 (2006.01); A23L 3/005 (2006.01)
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
OG exemplary drawing
 
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.