Virus and bacterial removal ability of TiO2 nanowire-based self-supported hybrid membranes

Development and application of hybrid membranes containing multi-component materials are increasing day by day in the fields of environmental protection and water treatment. In this research, the efficiency of titania nanowire (TiO2 NW)-based self-supported hybrid membranes was investigated in the removal of Escherichia coli (E. Coli) bacteria and MS2 bacteriophages from contaminated water. Furthermore, toxicology tests on the as-prepared membranes were also performed. TiO2 NWs were coated with iron(III) oxide (Fe2O3) and copper(II) oxide (CuO) nanoparticles, respectively, and cellulose was used as reinforcement filler material during membrane preparation. The filtration tests were carried out at pH 7.0. The fabricated hybrid membranes were characterized by micro computed tomography (μCT) and Raman spectroscopy techniques to study their morphological and porosity aspect and the surface properties. Although, the hybrid membranes showed promising results in both E. Coli and MS2 retention experiments, their effectiveness was different. This study shows a simple route of the usage of novel and effective inorganic nanowire-based hybrid membranes for bacteria and virus removal, providing new pathways in the field of water filtration technologies.

SHEHAB Mohammed Ahmed;  SZŐRI-DOROGHÁZI Emma;  SZABO Szilvia;  VALSESIA Andrea;  KOÓS Tamás;  HERNADI Klara;  NÉMETH Zoltán; 

2023-07-17

ELSEVIER

JRC130551

1878-5352 (online),   

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1878535222007043,    https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC130551,   

10.1016/j.arabjc.2022.104388 (online),