A Study on Control of Microorganisms in Drinking Water Using Ag-Cu/C Catalysts

Ag-Cu supported on activated carbon (Ag-Cu/C) catalysts with different compositions of Ag and Cu (total loading of Ag + Cu =1 weight %) were prepared by wet impregnation technique. These catalysts were characterized by BET surface area XRD, TPR, TEM and XPS. The catalytic activity of these catalysts was tested for control of microorganism in drinking water by nutrient agar coating method. Catalyst containing 0.5g each of Ag and Cu respectively exhibited superior catalytic activity compared to those of remaining compositions. The high catalytic activity possessed by this catalyst is attributed to the presence of smaller Ag particles and interaction between Ag and Cu as evidenced by XRD, TPR, XPS and TEM results respectively.