Control of microorganisms in drinking water using biocompatible and biodegradable composite nanofibers based on polyvinyl alcohol/cyclodextrin

The removal procedure of pathogenic microorganisms from drinking water is of special importance. Conventional methods such as application of chemicals, ozonation, ultraviolet light and membrane processes have been used to disinfect drinking water. The purpose of this study is to improve the quality of drinking water by removing Navicula algae as an indicator of water pollution using new fibrous nanostructures in the adsorption process. Nanofibers as one-dimensional nanostructures have remarkable physicochemical properties such that not only they have a high surface area, but also suitable mechanical connections in them cause effective communication of various microorganisms with the components of the fibrous network. In this study, biocompatible and biodegradable composite nanofibers of polyvinyl alcohol/cyclodextrin were synthesized using fast, controllable and environmentally friendly electrospinning method. The final products were characterized by various techniques such as scanning electron microscopy, nitrogen adsorption/desorption technique, and thermal and phase stability analyses. Due to the nanometer range of the nanofibers (۳۰ nm), desirable specific surface area (۶۸۰ m۲/g), and considerable thermal stability (۱۷۵ °C), these novel composite nanostructures are used to control the microorganisms in drinking water. After culturing Navicula algae, the results showed a significant reduction in the colony of microorganism species to ۲ colonies. It seems that the favorable physicochemical properties of nanocomposite samples, as well as their high specific surface area have a significant effect on the performance of these nanostructures. Systematic process studies are recommended in order to achieve controllable properties of products and also to study synthetic parameters on the removal of microorganisms.

کلیدواژه ها:

composite nanostructures ، physicochemical properties ، polyvinyl alcohol compounds ، microorganisms