Low-cost and large mass producible phenolic resin for water disinfection and antibacterial coating under weak visible light LED or sunlight irradiation

Phenolic-formaldehyde resins have been firstly demonstrated for applications in solar water disinfection and purification under both immobilized and flow-through conditions. [Display omitted] •Photocatalytic water disinfection ability of phenolic-formaldehyde (PR) resins was firstly discovered.•The performance of PR resin was comparable with other visible light photocatalysts.•Water purification in both immobilized and continuous flow-through conditions has been demonstrated.•Resin coating film exhibits remarkable E. coli deactivation property under weak LED irradiation. In present study, we for the first time discovered the photocatalytic water disinfection and antibacterial ability of phenolic-formaldehyde (PR) resins irradiated by LED lamp or natural sunlight in various application modes. The novel narrow band-gap, low-cost and large mass easily producible resin photocatalysts exhibit advanced and stable Escherichia coli (E. coli) inactivation performance, which is better than some well-known metal and non-metal based visible light photocatalysts under the identical condition. We have provided a proof-of-concept demonstration of its practical application feasibility for water purification in both immobilized plastic bag and continuous flow-through reactor under weak LED lamp or natural sunlight irradiation. Furthermore, the PR resin coating film exhibits remarkable E. coli deactivation property under weak LED lamp irradiation. This work provides a new approach for developing resin-based products with antibacterial function or solar water purification products for practical use.