Bacteriophage removal by Ni/Al layered double hydroxide in batch and flow-through column experiments

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Materials Science
• Water Treatment

Background:

• Bacteriophage MS2 is a common indicator of viral contamination in water.
• Effective removal of viruses is crucial for public health and water safety.
• Layered double hydroxides (LDHs) are emerging materials with potential for contaminant removal.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the efficacy of Ni/Al LDH for bacteriophage MS2 removal.
• To evaluate the performance of Ni/Al LDH in both batch and column experiments.
• To assess the impact of solution chemistry and coating on removal efficiency.

Main Methods:

• Batch adsorption experiments using powdered Ni/Al LDH.
• Column experiments with Ni/Al LDH-coated sand under flow-through conditions.
• Analysis of bacteriophage MS2 removal under varying pH and anion concentrations.

Main Results:

• Powdered Ni/Al LDH achieved a removal capacity of 5.5 × 10^7 pfu/g for MS2.
• MS2 removal was minimally affected by pH between 4.3 and 9.4.
• Ni/Al LDH-coated sand demonstrated a log removal of 4.51, significantly outperforming quartz sand (log removal of 0.02).
• Divalent anions impacted removal, while monovalent anions had negligible effects.

Conclusions:

• Ni/Al LDH is a highly effective material for bacteriophage MS2 removal.
• Ni/Al LDH-coated sand offers a promising solution for virus removal in water treatment and filtration.
• The material's performance is robust across a range of pH conditions relevant to water treatment.