An-Najah Staff

In order to solve water contamination problems several procedures are commonly used. Each procedure has its shortcomings, (such as DBPs production and cost. Photo- degradation of microorganisms using photo-catalysts (such as ZnO) could be a good alternative. Photodegradation of microorganisms has been examined in water disinfection. TiO2 and ZnO photocatalysts have been examined for inactivation of Escherichia coli and some other types of bacteria by photodegradation. ZnO has a wide band gap (3.2 ev), with limited photo-catalytic applications to shorter wavelengths, UV. Because only about 4% of the solar spectrum falls in the UV region, ZnO semiconductor is sensitized by to function in the visible solar light. In this work, ZnO semiconductor particles were sensitized with safe a low cost sensitizer, anthocyanin. The ZnO/anthocyanin was used to disinfect water from bacteria by photodegradation, using solar simulator light. Nano sized ZnO particles were investigated here.