Performance assessment of electrospun nanofibers for filter applications

Improvements in the Structure of Electrospun Polyurethane Nanofibrous Materials Used for Bacterial Removal from Wastewater

“…Our results are similar to those of Bjorge (2009), who investigated removal of E. coli from hospital wastewater. While Bjorge (2009) initially achieved log removal values ranging from 1.7 to 2.1, bacterial removal was significantly improved by functionalizing the nanofiber with silver (Ag), whereupon log removal values rose to 4.01.…”

“…Various analytical approaches may be used to determine filtration efficiency. While Bazargan et al (2011) used a specialized optical particle counter for assessment of particle removal from water we, along with other authors (Gopal et al, 2006;Bjorge et al, 2009;Desai et al, 2009) prefer the use of bacteria for filtration experiments as they better reflect real conditions. Two different analytical methods were used for nanomaterial filtration efficiency assessment (FCM and cultivation), each resulting in slightly different bacterial counts.…”

“…Nanofibers are produced through a relatively simple method, i.e. electrospinning, which has encouraged many research teams to study nanofiber applications for removal of bacteria, particles (Gopal et al, 2006) or dye from potable water or wastewater (Bjorge et al, 2009).…”

Steady state electrospinning of uniform polyethersulfone nanofibers using a non-heated solvent mixture

“…To achieve steady state electrospinning, it is crucial to determine a suitable solvent system Van der Schueren et al 2011). By studying steady state electrospinning of polyamides, it was possible to produce large uniform membranes that were further studied for use in water filtration (Bjorge et al 2009;Daels et al 2010Daels et al , 2011. The same approach can be used to scale up the electrospinning of other polymers.…”

“…Due to these properties, electrospun polymer nanofibers can be used in a broad range of applications, such as composites, scaffolds, medical applications and filter media (Ahmed et al 2015). Electrospinning is the most cost-effective method for large-scale production of nanofiber membranes (Greiner and Wendorff 2007;Bjorge et al 2009;Daels et al 2010). The electrospinning process makes use of an electric field that is applied across a polymer solution and a collector plate.…”