Synergistic Nanowire-Enhanced Electroporation and Electrochlorination for Highly Efficient Water Disinfection

Abstract

Conventional water disinfection methods such as chlorination typically involve the generation of harmful disinfection byproducts and intensive chemical consumption. Emerging electroporation disinfection techniques using nanowire-enhanced local electric fields inactivate microbes by damaging their outer structures without byproduct formation or chemical dosing. However, this physical-based method suffers from a limited inactivation efficiency under high water flux due to an insufficient contact time. Herein, we integrate electrochlorination with nanowire-enhanced electroporation to achieve a synergistic flowthrough process for efficient water disinfection targeting bacteria and viruses. Electroporation at the cathode induces sub-lethal damages on the microbial outer structures. Subsequently, electrogenerated active chlorine at the anode aggravates these electroporation-induced injuries to the level of lethal damage. This sequential flow-through disinfection system achieves complete disinfection (>6.0-log) under a very high water flux of 2.4 × 10 4 L/(m 2 h) with an applied voltage of 2.0 V. This disinfection efficiency is 8 times faster than that of electroporation alone. Further, the specific energy consumption for the disinfection by this novel process is extremely low (8 × 10 −4 kW h/m 3 ). Our results demonstrate a promising method for rapid and energy-efficient water disinfection by coupling electroporation with electrochlorination to meet vital needs for pathogen elimination.

Effect of Laser Parameters on Laser-Induced Graphene Filter Fabrication and Its Performance for Desalination and Water Purification

“…The fibrous structure might have played a significant role in enhancing the electric field, which could be one of the reasons for higher inactivation despite the same voltage application . The LIG fibers’ size ranges from 250 to 750 nm diameter sizes, and the earlier research on different nanofibers suggested to have an enhanced electric field effect on nanofibers’ tip and caused low-voltage electroporation in the bacterial cells and cause damage. , Furthermore, due to the highly porous nature of the filters (UP10-ID7 and PES15-ID6), the tortuosity of the membrane filters can significantly enhance the distance traveled by the cell, thereby increasing their chances of capturing . The membranes and LIG filter thickness are shown in Table S4, and the porosity ranges from 17 to 24%, as shown in Figure S8.…”

Free-standing membrane incorporating single-atom catalysts for ultrafast electroreduction of low-concentration nitrate

“…In addition, the small amount of generated NH 4 + (<2 mg-N L −1 ) in the treated water can be removed in a subsequent chlorination process with a typical chlorine dosage of 6 to 15 mg-Cl 2 L −1 for water disinfection. ( 48 ) However, the application of chlorination to remove NH 4 + with a higher concentration can significantly increase the potential for harmful chlorinated by-product formation. ( 49 , 50 )…”

Self-Powered Disinfection Using Triboelectric, Conductive Wires of Metal–Organic Frameworks

“…Lower concentrations of oxidized species (ozone, H 2 O 2 , and Cl 2 ) showed limited impact on the treated bacteria, while 0.15 mM H 2 O 2 can effectively cause lethal damage to the injured bacteria. 14,30 When bubbling N 2 to the influent, the generation of H 2 O 2 was inhibited, and this electroporation-only disinfection system attained <2.0-log disinfection (Figure 4d), showing the notable contribution of the generated H 2 O 2 . Notably, when 0.1 mM of H 2 O 2 was added to the influent, i.e., a concentration similar to that of the electrogenerated H 2 O 2 during EH 2 O 2 E disinfection, the disinfection performance was enhanced significantly to 5.0-log and 4.7-log removal for E. coli and B. subtilis, respectively.…”

“…13 However, electroporation occurs only when bacteria approach the nanowire tip with enhanced localized electric fields. 14 Thus, if solely relied on electroporation, disinfection suffers from insufficient throughput and efficiency.…”

“…In addition, the feasibility of oxidation-assisted electroporation has been confirmed in our previous study. 14 When an epidemic outbreak happens, conventional disinfection methods require a large increase in treatment loading and might not be able to provide safe drinking water for all regions. Accordingly, the TENG-driven EH 2 O 2 E system shows great potential for viral inactivation to provide safe drinking water.…”