Cationic cellulose filter papers modified with ZnO/Ag/GO nanocomposite as point of use gravity-driven filters for bacterial removal from water

Abstract The surface modification of filters with large pore sizes for the development of low-cost gravity-driven point-of-use (POU) technologies for water disinfection can be an effective strategy to empower people to access safe water instantly, especially in low- and middle-income countries. In this study, the surface of commercial cellulose filter papers, as cheap and bio-based filters, was modified with polydopamine (PDA), polyethyleneimine (PEI) and ZnO/Ag/GO nanocomposite (ZnO/Ag/GO@PDA/PEI papers) for bacterial removal from water. PDA/PEI incorporation introduced a cationic functional layer, which can entrap negative bacteria and make a stable chemical bond with the nanocomposite. ZnO/Ag/GO exhibited promising synergistic antibacterial activities (30 times stronger than ZnO). As a result, 3 sheets of ZnO/Ag/GO@PDA/PEI papers showed a 99.98% bacterial reduction (E. coli), which met the WHO standards. Moreover, the leached zinc and silver in the filtrate were far below the WHO’s limits (380 and 10 ppb, respectively). The results showed that the modified papers could be reused multiple times. After six times of reuse, the flow rate dropped slightly (below 20%) and the bacterial removal efficiency was more than 99.9%. This study is valuable for developing filters for treating bacterial-contaminated water on-site with no need for energy, which is a demand in many countries.