The invention relates to the purification and disinfection of air and water. A photocatalytic element consists of sintered glass beads with a pore volume fraction from 20% to 40% and a pore size from 0.1 to 0.5 mm, the surface of which is coated with a titanium dioxide powder, having a specific surface area of 150-400 m2/g, at the rate of 0.5-2% relative to the total mass of the photocatalytic element. The surface of the glass beads has a relief shape with a relief depression of 0.5-10 μm. The method for producing the photocatalytic element comprises sintering the glass beads at a temperature that is 5-20° C. higher than the glass softening temperature, modifying the bead surface with chemical etching agents, and coating the bead surface with the titanium dioxide powder from a water suspension at a pH of 2.9±0.1.