title: Water treatment using activated carbon supporting silver and magnetite.
abstract: Recent efforts in water purification have led to the development of novel materials whose unique properties can offer effective biocidal capabilities with greater ease of use and at lower cost. In this study, we introduce a novel procedure for the preparation of activated carbon (charcoal) composite in which magnetite and silver are incorporated (MCAG); we also describe the use of this material for the disinfection of surface water. The formation process of magnetic MCAG composite was studied using ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy. The results demonstrated the high sorption efficiency of AgNO₃ to magnetic activated carbon. The antimicrobial capabilities of the prepared MCAG were examined and the results clearly demonstrate their inhibitory effect on total river water bacteria and on Pseudomonas koreensis and Bacillus mycoides cultures isolated from river water. The bacterial counts in river water samples were reduced by five orders of magnitude following 30 min of treatment using 1 g l⁻¹ of MCAG at room temperature. The removal of all bacteria from the surface water samples implies that the MCAG material would be a suitable disinfectant for such waters. In combination with its magnetic character, MCAG would be an excellent candidate for the simple ambulatory disinfection of surface water.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Experimental Physics, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Watsonova 47, 040 01 Košice, Slovakia. valusova@saske.sk
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Valušová
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vandžurová
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pristaš
authors.forename: Marián
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Antalík
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Javorský
mesh_terms: D000327:Adsorption; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D001407:Bacillus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development; D002606:Charcoal / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D052203:Ferrosoferric Oxide / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D011549:Pseudomonas / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development; D045483:Rivers / Q000382:microbiology; D012834:Silver / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology; D018508:Water Purification / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D002606:Charcoal; D012834:Silver; D052203:Ferrosoferric Oxide