Effects of UV-C and Vacuum-UV TiO2 Advanced Oxidation Processes on the Acute Mortality of Microalgae

Advanced oxidation processes/technologies (AOT) that combine a semiconductor, such as titanium dioxide (TiO2), with a UV source have been used to eliminate microorganisms in various water treatment applications. To facilitate the applicability of this technique, the gain in efficiency from the semiconductor compared to the UV source alone with respect to different target organisms requires evaluation. The primary objective of this study was to determine the effects of TiO2 and UV wavelength on a freshwater alga, Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata and a marine alga, Tetraselmis suecica. For each species, dose-response experiments were conducted to determine the median lethal dose (LC50) of the following treatments: UV light emitted with a peak of 254nm, UV light emitted with a peak of 254nm in the presence of TiO2 and UV light emitted with a peak of 254 and 185nm in the presence of TiO2. In both species, the presence of TiO2 significantly increased mortality. Across all three treatments, P.subcapitata was more sensitive than T.suecica; moreover, the addition of the 185nm wavelength significantly increased cell mortality in P.subcapitata but not in T.suecica.