Inactivation and disposal of by-products from Mycobacterium smegmatis by photoelectrocatalytic oxidation using Ti/TiO2-Ag nanotube electrodes

TiO2 nanotubular array electrodes coated with 16% (w/w) Ag nanoparticles (Ti/TiO2-Ag) have shown excellent performance in the disinfection of water containing Mycobacterium smegmatis. Photoelectrocatalytic disinfection of M. smegmatis 5.1 × 103 Colony Forming Units (CFU) mL−1 in 0.05 M Na2SO4 (pH 6), applied potential of +1.5 V versus Ag/AgCl and UV irradiation promoted 100% inactivation after 3 min of treatment. Mycobacteria degradation was also monitored by TOC removal, sugar release, chromatography and mass spectroscopy measurements. All analytical methods used confirmed that there was complete inactivation of mycobacteria and degradation of the by-products generated during cellular lyses by the proposed method.