Preliminary Study of Cellulose and Polycaprolactone-Based Materials for Enhancing Bacteriological and Physicochemical Quality of Contaminated Water

Résumé fourni par la source

As water scarcity and pollution increase in rural communities in some parts of developing countries, there is a need to find simple ways to improve the quality of contaminated water. In this research, bagasse-based cellulose membranes were prepared and evaluated in a simple filtration system and compared with polycaprolactone membranes (PCL) and bagasse-based cellulose/PCL membranes for the removal of total coliform bacteria, Escherichia coli and other physical and chemical contaminants from contaminated water. Cellulose offers many opportunities in filtration technology due to its physical and chemical characteristics that allow its use in the design of membranes with flexible capabilities and specific applications. The membranes were characterized physically, chemically and mechanically, finding similarity in mechanical properties and differences in porosity. The membranes were tested in a filtration system and PCL membranes were more effective in removing turbidity (94.5%), color removal (70%) and phosphorus removal (50%), while cellulose membranes were better at retaining fecal coliforms (84.5%) and E. coli (90.8%). Statistical analysis (one-way ANOVA, p < 0.05) confirmed significant differences among the three membrane types for turbidity, apparent color, and nitrate, while no significant differences were observed for pH, conductivity, and phosphorus. These results suggest that the use of the membranes could help to improve the quality of polluted water and more studies are needed in order to improve their efficiencies.

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