Effective approach to water purification from microbiological contamination based on novel surface-modified adsorbents

Abstract

In this work, we provide a literature review of water treatment techniques and propose a novel resource-efficient solution for the purification of aqueous media from microbiological contamination. Methods: Combined filter sorbents were developed and studied based on novel modified nanostructured filter materials. Synthetic and natural zeolite were used as the mineral base. The production technique was optimized to coat minerals with aluminum oxyhydroxide by means of a sol-gel process. Additional treatment with fine zinc particles obtained by electrospark dispersion was applied to modify the sorbent surface and obtain the surface charge required. Results: The antibacterial, sorption and physicochemical properties of the samples as well as their surface structures were investigated. According to broad microbiological tests, the possibility of purifying bacterial-contaminated water was demonstrated to an acceptable level by means of adsorption filtration. Conclusion: The proposed novel approach for water treatment against bacterial contamination can be considered an alternative to the currently available water treatment technologies.