A novel electrospun polyurethane nanofibre membrane--production parameters and suitability for wastewater (WW) treatment.
The aim of this study was to investigate the suitability of a novel electrospun polyurethane nanofibre material for water-treatment purposes. Bacterial removal efficiency was tested in the laboratory by filtering artificial water spiked with Escherichia coli through a 0.25 µm nanofibre membrane. The results were compared with those obtained using a commercial microfiltration material (MV020T) with a similar pore size (0.20 µm). Alongside the laboratory experiments, we also determined filtration efficiency with semi-pilot scale experiments using actual wastewater from the secondary sedimentation tank of a wastewater treatment plant. The laboratory experiments indicated very high log10 removal efficiency, ranging from 5.8 to 6.8 CFU (colony-forming units)/ml. These results were better than those of the commercial membrane (3.8-4.6 CFU/ml). The semi-pilot scale experiment confirmed the membrane's suitability for microbial filtration, with both E. coli and total culturable microorganisms (cultured at both 22 and 36 °C) showing a significant decline compared to the non-filtered control (wastewater from the secondary outlet).
ASIO, s.r.o., Kšírova 552/45, 619 00 Brno, Czech Republic E-mail: lev@asio.cz.
Jaroslav
J
Lev
ASIO, s.r.o., Kšírova 552/45, 619 00 Brno, Czech Republic E-mail: lev@asio.cz; Department of Experimental Phycology and Ecotoxicology, Institute of Botany of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Lidická 25/27, 602 00 Brno, Czech Republic.
Marek
M
Holba
ASIO, s.r.o., Kšírova 552/45, 619 00 Brno, Czech Republic E-mail: lev@asio.cz; Mendel University in Brno, Faculty of Agronomy, Zemědělská 1/1665, 613 00 Brno, Czech Republic.
Michal
M
Došek
Mendel University in Brno, Faculty of Agronomy, Zemědělská 1/1665, 613 00 Brno, Czech Republic.
Libor
L
Kalhotka
Department of Experimental Phycology and Ecotoxicology, Institute of Botany of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Lidická 25/27, 602 00 Brno, Czech Republic.
Přemysl
P
Mikula
SPUR, a.s., třída Tomáše Bati 299, Louky, 763 02 Zlín, Czech Republic.
Dušan
D
Kimmer
D004926:Escherichia coli; D005374:Filtration / Q000295:instrumentation*; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D057139:Nanofibers; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011140:Polyurethanes / Q000138:chemical synthesis*; D011205:Povidone; D018508:Water Purification / Q000295:instrumentation*
D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D011140:Polyurethanes; D011205:Povidone