Antimicrobial filtration with electrospun poly(vinyl alcohol) nanofibers containing benzyl triethylammonium chloride: Immersion, leaching, toxicity, and filtration tests. (January 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Park, Jeong-Ann; Kim, Song-Bae
• Is Part Of: Chemosphere. Volume 167(2017)
• Page Start: 469
• Page End: 477
• Publication Date: 2017-01
• Subjects: Antimicrobial agent -- Benzyl triethylammonium chloride -- Electrospun nanofiber -- Poly(vinyl alcohol) -- Toxicity -- Water filtration; Pollution -- Periodicals; Pollution -- Physiological effect -- Periodicals; Environmental sciences -- Periodicals; Atmospheric chemistry -- Periodicals; 551.511
• DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2016.10.030
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0045-6535

Abstract

Abstract: Antimicrobial electrospun poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) nanofibers were synthesized by impregnating benzyl triethylammonium chloride (BTEAC) as an antimicrobial agent into PVA nanofibers. The BTEAC-PVA nanofibers were heat-methanol treated during the preparation for various tests. The BTEAC-PVA nanofibers became more hydrophilic than the PVA nanofibers due to incorporation of BTEAC. Through heat-methanol treatment, thermal property, crystallinity, and water stability of BTEAC-PVA nanofibers were improved considerably. The immersion test shows that heat-methanol treatment has an advantage over heat treatment to maintain BTEAC content in BTEAC-PVA nanofibers. The acute toxicity test demonstrates that the 24-h EC50 and 48-h EC50 values (EC50 = median effective concentration) of BTEAC to Daphnia magna were 113 and 90 mg/L, respectively. The leaching test indicates that the BTEAC concentration leached from BTEAC-PVA nanofibers was far below the concentration affecting the immobilization of D. magna . For antimicrobial filtration tests, the BTEAC-PVA nanofibers were deposited onto glass fiber filter. The antimicrobial filtration test was conducted against bacteria ( Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus ) and bacteriophages (MS2, PhiX174), demonstrating that the BTEAC-PVA nanofibers could enhance the removal of E. coli and S. aureus considerably but not the removal of MS2 and PhiX174 under dynamic flow conditions. Graphical abstract: Highlights: Antimicrobial BTEAC-PVA nanofibers were synthesized using electrospinning process. Water stability of BTEAC-PVA nanofibers was improved by heat-methanol treatment. Leached BTEAC was far below the toxicity level for D. magna immobilization. Bacteria removal could be enhanced by incorporation of BTEAC into PVA nanofibers.