Abstract
Consumption of contaminated water may lead to dangerous and even fatal water-borne diseases. Disinfection of drinking water is the most effective solution for this problem. The most common water treatment methods are based on the use of toxic disinfectants. Composites of polymers with nanosized metals and their oxides may become a good alternative to the existing methods. Expanding the scope of our previous publication, copper, cuprous, and copper oxide nanoparticles were immobilized onto linear low-density polyethylene by a simple thermal adhesion method. The antibacterial efficiency of the immobilized nanoparticles was tested against Gram-negative Escherichia coli and Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus in batch experiments and for the first time the efficiency of these composites is reported for continuous flow regime. Immobilized copper and cuprous oxide nanoparticles demonstrated a high ability to eradicate bacteria after 30 min. These composites showed no or very limited leaching of copper ions into the aqueous phase both in the presence and in the absence of a bacterial suspension. Immobilized copper and cuprous oxide nanoparticles can be used for batch or continuous disinfection of water.
Highlights
According to data of the World Health Organization (WHO), almost two billion people worldwide use contaminated drinking water
The upper polyimide film was removed from the sample and 0.15 g of NPs were dispersed on the molten polymer using a sieve
S. aureus cells, probably due to slower oxidation of coli suspension contact between NPs attached onto the polymeric surface and cells, and 2 not because of the action of copper ions in solution on the cells, since no significant release of copper ions into the aqueous compared to the S. aureus suspension
Summary
According to data of the World Health Organization (WHO), almost two billion people worldwide use contaminated drinking water This leads to the spread of dangerous and even fatal water-borne diseases such as diarrhea, cholera, dysentery, typhoid, and poliomyelitis [1]. The most commonly used and cheapest disinfectant is chlorine, which deactivates microorganisms in drinking water treatment plants [3] This process has serious drawbacks due to generation of toxic and carcinogenic products such as trihalomethanes and haloacetic acids [4,5]. Non-chemical disinfectants, such as UV radiation, are powerful against protozoa, bacteria, fungi, and viruses Use of this method is limited, since turbidity of a water source decreases UV transmittance to the microorganisms [8]
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