Photoinactivation of bacteria in wastewater by porphyrins: bacterial beta-galactosidase activity and leucine-uptake as methods to monitor the process.

The increasing interest in photodynamic antimicrobial chemotherapy as a promising technology for wastewater treatment demands more efficient photosensitizers and faster methods for the monitorization of the photoinactivation process. Two sets of neutral and cationic porphyrins were used as photosensitizers for the photoinactivation of sewage bacteria. Two of the cationic porphyrins revealed to be highly active, even against Gram-negative bacteria, inactivating ca.