New Low-Cost Ceramic Microfiltration Membranes for Bacteria Removal
Safe water provision in low-income countries is constrained by limited financial resources, and the problem is worsened during natural disasters. Thus, there is a need to develop efficient low-cost technologies for point-of-use water treatment. This work reports on the development of new ceramic mic...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-04-01
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| Series: | Membranes |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0375/12/5/490 |
| _version_ | 1797497970166333440 |
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| author | Olivier Mountoumnjou Anthony Szymczyk Emilia Enjema Lyonga Mbambyah Dayirou Njoya Antoine Elimbi |
| author_facet | Olivier Mountoumnjou Anthony Szymczyk Emilia Enjema Lyonga Mbambyah Dayirou Njoya Antoine Elimbi |
| author_sort | Olivier Mountoumnjou |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Safe water provision in low-income countries is constrained by limited financial resources, and the problem is worsened during natural disasters. Thus, there is a need to develop efficient low-cost technologies for point-of-use water treatment. This work reports on the development of new ceramic microfiltration membranes made from mixtures of inexpensive raw materials available locally (kaolin, bentonite and limestone) and their efficiency in rejecting bacteria such as <i>Escherichia coli</i> and <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i>. Thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, mercury intrusion porosimetry, flexural strength and water uptake were used to characterize the raw materials and membranes. The addition of limestone in the membrane fabrication increased the pore size, the porosity and, thus, the permeability of the membranes but at the expense of the rejection performance. Among the different compositions studied, the membrane made of 83% kaolin, 10% bentonite and 7% limestone showed the best performance compromise with water permeability of 566 L·h<sup>−1</sup>·m<sup>−2</sup>·bar<sup>−1</sup> and 100% rejection of both <i>Escherichia coli</i> and <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i>. These new low-cost microfiltration membranes are expected to have potential applications in water treatment and household applications. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T03:26:45Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-27f1792fd24c4bdeaaf693a636ac92fc |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2077-0375 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T03:26:45Z |
| publishDate | 2022-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Membranes |
| spelling | doaj.art-27f1792fd24c4bdeaaf693a636ac92fc2023-11-23T12:05:31ZengMDPI AGMembranes2077-03752022-04-0112549010.3390/membranes12050490New Low-Cost Ceramic Microfiltration Membranes for Bacteria RemovalOlivier Mountoumnjou0Anthony Szymczyk1Emilia Enjema Lyonga Mbambyah2Dayirou Njoya3Antoine Elimbi4Laboratory of Applied Inorganic Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences, University of Yaounde 1, Yaounde P.O. Box 812, CameroonCNRS, ISCR (Institut des Sciences Chimiques de Rennes)—UMR 6226, University Rennes, F-35000 Rennes, FranceDepartment of Microbiology, Faculty of Medecine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaounde 1, Yaounde P.O. Box 1364, CameroonLaboratory of Applied Inorganic Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences, University of Yaounde 1, Yaounde P.O. Box 812, CameroonLaboratory of Applied Inorganic Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences, University of Yaounde 1, Yaounde P.O. Box 812, CameroonSafe water provision in low-income countries is constrained by limited financial resources, and the problem is worsened during natural disasters. Thus, there is a need to develop efficient low-cost technologies for point-of-use water treatment. This work reports on the development of new ceramic microfiltration membranes made from mixtures of inexpensive raw materials available locally (kaolin, bentonite and limestone) and their efficiency in rejecting bacteria such as <i>Escherichia coli</i> and <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i>. Thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, mercury intrusion porosimetry, flexural strength and water uptake were used to characterize the raw materials and membranes. The addition of limestone in the membrane fabrication increased the pore size, the porosity and, thus, the permeability of the membranes but at the expense of the rejection performance. Among the different compositions studied, the membrane made of 83% kaolin, 10% bentonite and 7% limestone showed the best performance compromise with water permeability of 566 L·h<sup>−1</sup>·m<sup>−2</sup>·bar<sup>−1</sup> and 100% rejection of both <i>Escherichia coli</i> and <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i>. These new low-cost microfiltration membranes are expected to have potential applications in water treatment and household applications.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0375/12/5/490microfiltrationceramic membranesnatural resources<i>Escherichia coli</i><i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> |
| spellingShingle | Olivier Mountoumnjou Anthony Szymczyk Emilia Enjema Lyonga Mbambyah Dayirou Njoya Antoine Elimbi New Low-Cost Ceramic Microfiltration Membranes for Bacteria Removal Membranes microfiltration ceramic membranes natural resources <i>Escherichia coli</i> <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> |
| title | New Low-Cost Ceramic Microfiltration Membranes for Bacteria Removal |
| title_full | New Low-Cost Ceramic Microfiltration Membranes for Bacteria Removal |
| title_fullStr | New Low-Cost Ceramic Microfiltration Membranes for Bacteria Removal |
| title_full_unstemmed | New Low-Cost Ceramic Microfiltration Membranes for Bacteria Removal |
| title_short | New Low-Cost Ceramic Microfiltration Membranes for Bacteria Removal |
| title_sort | new low cost ceramic microfiltration membranes for bacteria removal |
| topic | microfiltration ceramic membranes natural resources <i>Escherichia coli</i> <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0375/12/5/490 |
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