Virus Control by Enhanced Physical Separation

Accessibility to clean drinking water is and will continue to be essential to the quality of life of all humans. Unfortunately, having access to clean and safe drinking water is still a privilege and not a universal right. Billions of people around the globe lack adequate sanitation, as well as live in areas experiencing conditions of both physical and economic scarcity of water. Currently there is an astounding number of the global population which are drinking from fecally contaminated sources of water. Depending on the water to be treated, techniques are available to remove harmful bacteria and viruses or other contaminants for those who can afford it. However, lack of adequate water treatment infrastructure coupled with poverty has caused limited access to clean and safe drinking water in regions that are at the bottom of the social and economic ladder.
Undeniably, there is an alarming problem that will persist if nothing is done to reduce the burdens associated with waterborne diseases. Technologies are available that can solve this problem. However, they require substantial investments, maintenance and specialized knowledge. Hence, there is a pressing need to develop alternative approaches, such as Point-of-Use (POU) devices that are inexpensive, require no energy and are easy to use. Additionally, these POU devices should also lead to safe, virus free drinking water, the focus of this thesis.
In this thesis, the modification of polymeric microfiltration (MF) membranes with the antimicrobial polymer polyethyleneimine, (PEI) coupled with antimicrobial nanoparticles of silver and copper for enhanced pathogen removal for drinking water treatment is covered. By using these modified membranes, drinking water purification processes can be simplified compared to UF based treatment systems, a significant advantage for decentralized water treatment systems.