Inactivation of MS2 Bacteriophage for Water Disinfection via Microwave Irradiation

Overview

Human enteric pathogenic viruses present in wastewater, even at low concentrations, are responsible for many fatal waterborne diseases. The MS2 bacteriophage was used as a model pollutant due to its similar morphology, size, and structure to pathogenic viruses in drinking water systems. This project tested the ability of a microwave system involving a microwave-assisted reactive membrane coated with a BFO catalyst to serve as an effective virus filtration system. Microwave irradiation activates the catalytically reactive membrane enabling the formation of active species which are germicidal and inactivate waterborne viruses. Batch filtration experiments indicated that the MS2 inactivation efficiency was 100% with a short time (1-2 min) with the influent MS2 concentration of 7.5×104 PFU∙mL-1 at flow rates of 6 mL∙min-1. The results of MS2 inactivation with/without catalyst coating demonstrated the significant role of the catalyst in inactivating MS2 at 100% with periods of irradiation as low as 1 min. This microwave reactive technology will open new horizons for a quick and efficient disinfection and viral removal in wastewater and other broad environmental media such as air or aerosol.

Competition history

• JSHS 2022 Category not listed

Resources

• National JSHS abstract book ↗

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