Effect of virus influent concentration on its removal by microfiltration: The case of human adenovirus 2

• HAdV-2 removal decreased at the start of filtration with low influent concentration.
• HAdV-2 removal increased at the start of filtration with high influent concentration.
• Fouling caused by HAdV-2 included pore blockages and cake filtration.
• Pore blockage led to an increase of HAdV-2 removal during later filtration stage.

For safe water reuse, pathogenic viruses need to be efficiently controlled. Membrane filtration is considered to be an effective technology for virus removal. The present work explores mechanisms of human adenovirus 2 (HAdV-2) removal by a hollow fiber microfiltration membrane (dporedpore=0.2 µm) as a function of influent virus concentration ranging from 1.3×107 to 3.4×108 copies/mL. A gradual decrease of HAdV-2 removal over time was observed at the beginning of filtration and was attributed to the accumulation of rejected HAdV-2 at the membrane surface or within membrane pores. Flux decline analysis revealed that complete pore blocking and standard pore blocking dominated the early stages of filtration and then transited to cake filtration at longer filtration time as the primary reason for flux decline. Deposition of HAdV-2 onto the membrane during the later stages of filtration led to the formation of a partly irreversible fouling layer and an increase of HAdV-2 removal. The understanding of HAdV-2 behavior at the membrane surface revealed in this study can help with the development of antifouling membranes with high virus removal efficiency.

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