Disinfection of Legionella pneumophila by ultrasonic treatment with TiO2

An ultrasonic treatment system, using a TiO2 photocatalyst, was used to disinfect Legionella pneumophila. A kinetic study of the process indicates that TiO2 significantly improves the disinfection process. The concentrations of viable cells were reduced to 6% of the initial concentrations in the presence of 0.2 g/ml TiO2 after a 30 min of treatment period, while only an 18% reduction was observed in the absence of TiO2. The potency of the disinfection could be enhanced, to some extent, by increasing the amount of TiO2 used. Cell concentrations were decreased by an order of 3 within 30 min of treatment in the presence of 1.0 g/ml TiO2. The disinfection power in the presence of TiO2 versus Al2O3 was also compared and the findings showed that TiO2 induced a higher cell killing. No significant effect of initial cell concentration on the disinfection was found in the range of 102–107 CFU/ml after a 30 min of treatment period. The mechanism of cell killing was investigated by examining the effects of OH radical scavengers such as ascorbic acid, histidine and glutathione. The disinfection power was reduced in samples that contained these radical scavengers, thus indicating the importance of OH radicals.