New Low-Cost Ceramic Microfiltration Membranes for Bacteria Removal

Abstract

Safe water provision in low-income countries is constrained by limited financial resources, and the problem is worsened during natural disasters. Thus, there is a need to develop efficient low-cost technologies for point-of-use water treatment. This work reports on the development of new ceramic microfiltration membranes made from mixtures of inexpensive raw materials available locally (kaolin, bentonite and limestone) and their efficiency in rejecting bacteria such as Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, mercury intrusion porosimetry, flexural strength and water uptake were used to characterize the raw materials and membranes. The addition of limestone in the membrane fabrication increased the pore size, the porosity and, thus, the permeability of the membranes but at the expense of the rejection performance. Among the different compositions studied, the membrane made of 83% kaolin, 10% bentonite and 7% limestone showed the best performance compromise with water permeability of 566 L·h−1·m−2·bar−1 and 100% rejection of both Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. These new low-cost microfiltration membranes are expected to have potential applications in water treatment and household applications.

Modelling and optimization of membrane process for removal of biologics (pathogens) from water and wastewater: Current perspectives and challenges

“…Bacteria are just as dangerous as viruses when present in drinking water [ 50 ]. It is commonly known that wastewater serves as a breeding ground for a variety of pathogenic bacteria, including Streptococcus faecalis , faecal coliforms, and Bacillus subtilis [ 34 ].…”

“… [ 80 ] Microfiltration Staphylococcus aureus Escherichia coli Raw water With 100 % rejection of the pathogen, the membrane composed of 7 % limestone, 83 % kaolin, and 10 % bentonite, demonstrated the best performance. [ 50 ] Hybrid UV-C/Microfiltration Escherichia coli , Enterococcus faecalis , Candida albicans Urban wastewater A hybrid UV-C/microfiltration system generated a synergistic effect between UV-C and filtration, which led to the death of 96–98 % of the eliminated microorganisms. [ 81 ] Ultrafiltration with UV pretreatment Legionella spp., Legionella pneumophila , Mycobacterium spp., Acanthameoba spp.…”