title: Biogenic silver nanoparticles (bio-Ag 0) decrease biofouling of bio-Ag 0/PES nanocomposite membranes.
abstract: Biofouling is a major problem for the application of membrane technology in water and wastewater treatment. One of the practical strategies to decrease biofouling is the use of advanced anti-biofouling membrane material. In this study, different amounts of biogenic silver nanoparticles (bio-Ag(0)) were embedded in polyethersulfone (PES) membranes, using the phase-inversion method. The effects of the bio-Ag(0) content on the structure of the membrane and its filtration performance were systematically investigated. The results demonstrated that silver-containing nanostructures were uniformly distributed on membrane surface. Bio-Ag(0) incorporation slightly increased the hydrophilicity of the PES membrane and increased the permeate flux. The anti-bacterial and anti-biofouling properties of the bio-Ag(0)/PES nanocomposites membrane were tested with pure cultures (Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) and a mixed culture (an activated sludge bioreactor), respectively. The bio-Ag(0)/PES composite membranes, even with the lowest content of biogenic silver (140 mg bio-Ag(0)m(-2)), not only exhibited excellent anti-bacterial activity, but also prevented bacterial attachment to the membrane surface and decreased the biofilm formation during a 9 weeks test.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen 361021, China.
authors.forename: Manying
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Kaisong
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Bart
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: De Gusseme
authors.forename: Willy
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Verstraete
mesh_terms: D018441:Biofilms / Q000254:growth & development; D057219:Biofouling / Q000517:prevention & control*; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D052978:Disk Diffusion Antimicrobial Tests; D004926:Escherichia coli; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D053768:Metal Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry*; D053761:Nanocomposites / Q000737:chemistry*; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry*; D011550:Pseudomonas aeruginosa; D012834:Silver / Q000737:chemistry*; D013450:Sulfones / Q000737:chemistry*; D014462:Ultrafiltration / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D011108:Polymers; D013450:Sulfones; C022840:polyether sulfone; D012834:Silver