Preparation and characterization of pectin/hydroxyethyl cellulose/clay/TiO 2 bionanocomposite films for microbial pathogen removal from contaminated water.

Some of conventional wastewater disinfectants can have a harmful influence on the environment as well as human health. The aim of this investigation was synthesis and characterizes ecofriendly pectin/hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC)/clay and pectin/HEC/clay incorporated with titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO ₂ NPs) and use the prepared bionanocomposite as microbial disinfectants for real wastewater. Pectin/HEC/clay and pectin/HEC/clay/TiO ₂ bionanocomposite were characterized by various methods including X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). Mechanical properties and water vapor permeability (WVP) were carried out. The results of SEM showed that, the prepared bionanocomposite had a smooth surface. Additionally, TiO ₂ nanoparticles to the pectin/HEC/clay composites may lead to changes in the FTIR spectrum. The intensity of XRD peaks indicated that, TiO ₂ NPs was small size crystallite. TGA illustrated that pectin has moderate thermal stability, while HEC generally exhibits good thermal stability. The TEM showed that, TiO ₂ nanoparticles have diameters <25 nm. On the other hand, antimicrobial activities of pectin/HEC/clay against Escherichia coli (E. coli), Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans have been enhanced by adding TiO ₂ NPs. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of pectin/HEC/clay/TiO ₂ against E. coli was 200 mg/mL. Moreover, complete eradication of E. coli, Salmonella and Candida spp. from real wastewater was observed by using pectin/HEC/clay/TiO ₂ bionanocomposite. Finally, it can be concluded that, the synthesized bionanocomposite is environmentally friendly and considered an excellent disinfectant matter for removal of the microbial pathogens from wastewater to safely reuse.
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