The use of carbon-nanotubes for removal of bacterial pathogens from river water

الملخص EN

Providing clean and affordable water to meet human needs is a grand challenge of the 21st century.

Worldwide, water supply struggles to keep up with the fast growing demand, which is exacerbated by population growth, global climate change, and water quality deterioration.

The need for technological innovation to enable integrated water management cannot be overstated.

Nanotechnology holds great potential in advancing water and wastewater treatment to improve treatment efficiency as well as to augment water supply through safe use of unconventional water sources.

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are microscopic, hollow, cylindrical tubes made out of graphene sheets.

They contain several different, unique functions.

Two functions in particular, mechanical and antimicrobial, cause nanotubes to be lethal to microbacteria, as well as being small, strong and flexible.

This has allowed nanotubes to be produced as decontaminant filters.

The main objective of the present study is to develop a filter targeting the removal of microbial pathogens from river water.

An experimental setup was constructed in which the multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) are used directly as a layer in the filter.

The parameters investigated in the present work includes; the pressure, the temperature, the quantity of MWCNT utilized, and the thickness of MWCNT.

The present investigation reveals that the percentage reduction in total bacterial count, total coliforms count, fecal coliforms count and fecal streptococci count increases with the increase of the water temperature and larger thickness of CNTs.

However, increase water pressure results in lower percentage reduction in total bacterial count, total coliforms count, fecal coliforms count and fecal streptococci count.