Potential of a functionalised nanofibre microfiltration membrane as an antibacterial water filter

The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of functionalised electrospun nanofibre microfiltration membranes, spun by an innovative electrospinning technique, for water disinfection. As such, this study bridges between development in electrospinning techniques for the production of flat sheet membranes and the application of these membranes in water filtration and disinfection. Different functionalising agents (nanosilver, bronopol, WSCP, …) were initially evaluated in short term experiments. The most performing agent (WSCP) resulted in a 5.2 log10 colony forming units removal per 100 ml (CFU/100 ml) hospital wastewater when a 5 omf% WSCP functionalised membrane was applied. Long term lab scale tests showed a 5.6 log10 CFU/100 ml removal for Staphylococcus aureus and a 4.0 log10 CFU/100 ml removal for Escherichia coli, indicating a better removal of Grampositive bacteria. Leaching experiments showed a 10% wash-out of the applied functionalising agent. This leaching did not obstruct the pathogen removal capacity of the functionalised nanofibres. Further research should be conducted towards the reproducibility and controllability of electrospinning of functional nanofibres.

Research highlights
► An evaluation of electrospun non-woven membranes for water filtration.
► Antibacterial functionalized nanofibres produced for process water disinfection.
► A 5.2 log10 CFU/100 ml removal was obtained after functionalisation with 5 omf% WSCP.
► This bacterial removal was maintained after long term lab-scale filtration.