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Continuous flow experiments (450 mL min) were performed in household filter in order to investigate the removal and/or inactivation of T4 bacteriophage, using granular activated carbon (GAC) modified with silver and/or copper oxide nanoparticles at different concentrations. GAC and modified GAC were characterized by X-ray diffractometry, specific surface area, pore size and volume, pore average diameter, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, zeta potential and atomic absorption spectroscopy. The antiviral activity of the produced porous media was evaluated by passing suspensions of T4 bacteriophage (∼10 UFP/mL) through filters. The filtered water was analyzed for the presence of the bacteriophage and the release of silver and copper oxide. The porous media containing silver and copper oxide nanoparticles showed high inactivation capacity, even reaching reductions higher than 3 log. GAC6 (GAC/Ag0.5%Cu1.0%) was effective in the bacteriophage inactivation, reaching 5.53 log reduction. The levels of silver and copper released in filtered water were below the recommended limits (100 ppb for silver and 1000 ppb for copper) in drinking water. From this study, it is possible to conclude that activated carbon modified with silver and copper oxide nanoparticles can be used as a filter for virus removal in the treatment of drinking water.

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In this article was developed a green synthesis of CuO nanoparticles on vegetal activated carbon (VAC), using pomegranate leaf extract as reducing and stabilizing agent in the removal of multiple pollutants. The impregnated carbons with CuO nanoparticles were characterized morphologically and structurally. The SEM and XRD analysis, after carbons modification, showed that the surface structure remained porous with CuO nanoparticles sizes between 40 and 78 nm. As concern to the contaminants atrazine, caffeine and diclofenac, it is observed that the maximum adsorption capacities practically did not suffer interference by the presence of 1.5% Cu nanoparticles, keeping their values very close to those obtained with pure carbon. The nitrate removal was favored by the impregnation of CuO nanoparticles, from 0.93 mg g-1 to 4.09 mg g-1. The results are promising and demonstrate that it is possible to obtain VAC impregnated whit nanoparticles of CuO by a non-polluting and low cost method.

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