A system for disinfecting a fluid, including: a flow cell including one or more inlet ports and one or more outlet ports, wherein the flow cell is configured to communicate a fluid containing a biological contaminant from the one or more inlet ports to the one or more outlet portions through an interior portion thereof; and one or more point radiation sources disposed about the flow cell, wherein the one or more point radiation sources are operable for delivering radiation to the biological contaminant; wherein an interior surface of the flow cell is operable for reflecting the radiation delivered to the biological contaminant by the one or more point radiation sources; and wherein the interior surface of the flow cell is operable for reflecting the radiation delivered to the biological contaminant by the one or more point radiation sources such that a radiation intensity is uniform throughout the interior portion of the flow cell. In one exemplary embodiment, the flow cell is an integrating sphere. Optionally, the system also includes a photocatalyzing material disposed on at least a portion of the interior surface of the flow cell.

Described herein are heterogeneous materials comprising a p-type semiconductor comprising two metal oxide compounds of the same metal in two different oxidation states and an n-type semiconductor having a deeper valence band than the p-type semiconductor valence bands, wherein the semiconductor types are in ionic communication with each other. The heterogeneous materials enhance photocatalytic activity.

The present invention provides a novel method for treating soil-contaminated water, the method using a photocatalytic material capable of efficiently removing, by light irradiation alone, volatile organic compounds and heavy metals that give rise to soil contamination. The present invention provides a method for treating soil-contaminated water that detoxifies volatile organic compounds contained in soil-contaminated water using a photocatalytic material, the method being characterized by including the steps of (1) subjecting the soil-contaminated water to a gas-liquid separation to obtain a gas phase, and (2) decomposing the volatile organic compounds contained in the gas phase obtained in step (1) using the photocatalytic material. The present invention further provides a method for treating soil-contaminated water using a photocatalytic material to remove heavy metals contained in the soil-contaminated water, the method being characterized, by including the steps of (1) subjecting the soil-contaminated water to a gas-liquid separation to obtain a liquid phase, and (2) removing the heavy metals contained in the liquid phase obtained in step (1) using the photocatalytic material.

A composite nanomaterial of ZnO impregnated by, e.g., a green copper phthalocyanine compound (CuPc) can be an efficient solar light photocatalyst for water remediation. The composite may include hollow shell microspheres and hollow nanospheres of CuPc-ZnO. CuPc may function as a templating and/or structure modifying agent, e.g., for forming hollow microspheres and/or nanospheres of ZnO particles. The composite can photocatalyze the degradation of organic pollutants such as crystal violet (CV) and 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid as well as microbes in water under solar light irradiation. The ZnO—CuPc composite can be stable and recyclable under solar irradiation.

A liquid treatment device includes a base with a power source, a UV-LED module for providing UV-B or UV-C light to liquid, an LED for providing visible light, and a processor for selectively powering the UV-LED module and the LED, and having a UV transmissive material above the UV-LED module for allowing the UV-B or UV-C band light from the UV-LED module to be transmitted from the base housing, and a liquid storage housing removably coupled to the base housing with a storage portion configured to hold liquid and having a bottom portion comprising a UV transmissive material for allowing the UV-B or UV-C band light from the UV-LED module to be transmitted into the liquid, and an output coupled for restricting outflow of the liquid from the storage portion.

A fluid treatment device includes a pipe including an inlet, an outlet, an internal space through which a fluid moves and including a light source part disposed in the internal space and providing a light to the fluid. The light source part includes at least one light source unit having a substrate and a plurality of light sources disposed on the substrate and emitting the light. A ratio of a first distance between two light sources adjacent to each other to a second distance between each light source and an inner circumferential surface of the pipe is 1:1.25 or less when viewed in a longitudinal-section.

Described herein are devices for providing drinking fluid from feed sources comprising: a first reservoir, a filter for mechanically removing particles and a second reservoir for receipt of the processed feed fluid. A continually disinfecting element is disposed in either or both reservoirs to remove additional materials from the fluid. Drinking fluid is provided in a portable device. Optional light sources are provided to interact with the disinfecting elements and/or provide an indication of the contained suitability of such disinfecting elements. A method for creating drinking fluid from a feed source is also disclosed.

A water treatment device (100) can include a chamber (104) having an inlet (108) to receive water contaminated with pathogens and an outlet (110) to dispense treated water. The water treatment device (100) can also include a catalytic element (130) disposed in the chamber (104) to deactivate the pathogens in the water via at least one of electrocatalytic activity and photocatalytic activity. The chamber (104) and/or the catalytic element (130) can be configured to mix the water as the water flows from the inlet (108) to the outlet (110) thereby exposing the pathogens in the water to the catalytic element (130).

Carbon-doped graphitic carbon nitride (g-C.sub.3N.sub.4) compositions are synthesized from the chemical precursors melamine, cyanuric acid and barbituric acid. Phosphorus-doped g-C.sub.3N.sub.4 compositions are synthesized from the chemical precursors melamine, cyanuric acid and etidronic acid. Carbon- and phosphorus-doped g-C.sub.3N.sub.4 compositions, when in the presence of UV or visible light, can be used in water treatment systems to photocatalytically degrade persistent organic micropollutants such as pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs), endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs), pesticides, and herbicides. Carbon- and phosphorus-doped g-C.sub.3N.sub.4 compositions can also be applied to surfaces of household and public items to kill protozoa, eukaryotic parasites, algal pathogens, bacteria, fungi, prions, viruses, or other microorganisms, preventing the transfer thereof between users.

A preparation method of a bacterial cellulose-defective molybdenum disulfide (BC-MoS.sub.2-x) heterojunction material for treating radioactive wastewater is provided, including: preparing bacterial cellulose by the in situ growth technology of Acetobacter xylinum, and freeze-drying to obtain dried bacterial cellulose; carbonizing the dried bacterial cellulose to obtain carbonized bacterial cellulose; dispersing the carbonized bacterial cellulose into deionized water under an ultrasonic treatment; then adding thiourea and Na.sub.2MoO.sub.4.2H.sub.2O, dissolving under an ultrasonic treatment to obtain a reaction mixture, subjecting the reaction mixture to a hydrothermal reaction to obtain a BC-MoS.sub.2 heterojunction; and calcining the BC-MoS.sub.2 heterojunction in a tube furnace with an Ar/H.sub.2 atmosphere to obtain the BC-MoS.sub.2-x heterojunction.