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Efficiency and stability evaluation of Cu2O/MWCNTs filters for virus removal from water.
Journal article

Efficiency and stability evaluation of Cu2O/MWCNTs filters for virus removal from water.

  • Domagała K Laboratory for High Performance Ceramics, Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland; Faculty of Materials Science and Ceramics, AGH, University of Science and Technology, Krakow, Poland. Electronic address: kamila.domagala@empa.ch.
  • Jacquin C Department of Process Engineering, Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland.
  • Borlaf M Laboratory for High Performance Ceramics, Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland.
  • Sinnet B Department of Process Engineering, Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland.
  • Julian T Department Environmental Microbiology, Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland; Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland; University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
  • Kata D Faculty of Materials Science and Ceramics, AGH, University of Science and Technology, Krakow, Poland.
  • Graule T Laboratory for High Performance Ceramics, Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland.
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  • 2020-05-11
Published in:
  • Water research. - 2020
Conditioning
Copper dissolution
MS2
MWCNT
Virus removal
copper(I) oxide
Adsorption
Filtration
Nanotubes, Carbon
Water
Water Purification
English Both multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and metal or metal oxides have demonstrated virus removal efficacy in drinking water applications. In this study, MWCNTs were coated with copper(I) oxide (Cu2O) using three distinct synthesis procedures (copper ion attachment, copper hydroxide precipitation, and [Cu(NH3)4]2+ complex attachment) and virus removal efficacy (using MS2 bacteriophages) was evaluated. All synthesis procedures resulted in the presence of adsorbed, nanosized Cu2O particles on the MWCNTs, shown using X-ray diffraction. Further, transmission electron microscopy confirmed uniform copper(I) oxide distribution along the MWCNTs for all three materials. Virus removal efficacy was assessed for all three synthesised composites both before and after material conditioning (filtering for at least 24 h/280 mL/h), and accounting for additional MS2 inactivation in the permeate due to continued copper inactivation from dissolved/desorbed copper in permeate (time-control). Material conditioning influenced virus removal, with the first litres of water containing higher concentrations of copper than the sixth litres of water, suggesting excess or non-bonded copper species dissolve from filters. Higher copper dissolution was observed for water at pH 5 than at pH 7, which decreased with time. Copper dissolution most likely caused an associated decrease in copper adsorbed to MWCNTs in the filters, which may explain the observed lower MS2 removal efficacy after conditioning. Additionally, the time-control study (immediately after filtration as compared to 2 h after filtration) highlighted continued MS2 inactivation in the permeate over time. The obtained results indicate that the synthesis procedure influences virus removal efficacy for MWCNTs coated with copper oxides and that virus removal is likely due to not only virus electrostatic adsorption to the coated MWCNTs, but also through antiviral properties of copper which continues to act in the permeate. In conclusion, it is highly important to revise the methods of testing filter materials for virus removal, as well as procedure for virus concentration evaluation.
Language
  • English
Open access status
closed
Identifiers
Persistent URL
https://folia.unifr.ch/global/documents/49820
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