Peracetic acid-enhanced photocatalytic and sonophotocatalytic inactivation of E. coli in aqueous suspensionsPeracetic acid-enhanced photocatalytic and sonophotocatalytic inactivation of E. coli in aqueous suspensions Peer-Reviewed Journal Publication Δημοσίευση σε Περιοδικό με Κριτές 2015-10-222010enAlthough chlorination is an effective and widely employed method of water disinfection, it suffers serious drawbacks such as the formation of toxic chlorinated by-products. Therefore, other disinfection technologies have been researched and developed, including advanced oxidation. The efficacy of heterogeneous photocatalysis and sonophotocatalysis induced by UV-A irradiation and low frequency (24–80 kHz) ultrasound irradiation in the presence of TiO2 as the photocatalyst and peracetic acid (PAA) as an additional disinfectant to inactivate E. coli in sterile water was evaluated. PAA-assisted UV-A/TiO2 photocatalysis generally leads to nearly complete E. coli inactivation in 10–20 min of contact time with the extent of inactivation depending on the photocatalyst type and loading (in the range 100–500 mg L−1) and PAA concentration (in the range 0.5–2 mg L−1). The simultaneous application of ultrasound and UV-A irradiation in the presence of TiO2 and PAA prompted further E. coli inactivation. The proposed advanced disinfection technology offers complete E. coli inactivation at short treatment times and low PAA doses. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Journal of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology8581049-1053 Xekoukoulotakis Nikos Ξεκουκουλωτακης Νικος Mantzavinos Dionysis Μαντζαβινος Διονυσης Vergara Yolanda Moya Armando Coz Alberto Drosou Aikaterini Δροσου Αικατερινη John Wiley and Sons Peracetic acid E. coli TiO 2 Photocatalysis Sonolysis Disinfection