Virus pH-Dependent Interactions with Cationically Modified Cellulose and Their Application in Water Filtration

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Environmental Engineering
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Norovirus and Rotavirus cause widespread disease outbreaks via contaminated water.
• Conventional filtration struggles with nanoscale viruses; adsorption methods are needed.
• Nanocellulose offers potential for advanced filtration materials.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate pH-responsive virus-nanocellulose interactions.
• To demonstrate a regenerable adsorption-based filter for nanoscale viruses.
• To understand virus-nanocellulose self-assembly for material design.

Main Methods:

• Utilized cationic-modified nanocellulose as a filter material.
• Employed bacteriophages MS2 and Qbeta to model virus behavior.
• Applied small angle X-ray scattering, cryogenic transmission electron microscopy, and ζ-potential measurements.
• Evaluated filtration and desorption efficiency at varying pH levels.

Main Results:

• Achieved 99.9% MS2 and 93.6% Qbeta virus removal at pH 7.0.
• Demonstrated successful virus desorption at pH 3.0 with mostly intact viruses.
• Confirmed pH-dependency of virus-nanocellulose interactions and adsorption.

Conclusions:

• Developed a sustainable, pH-responsive nanocellulose filter for virus removal.
• Provided fundamental insights into virus-nanocellulose self-assembly.
• Guided the design of environmentally friendly virus adsorption materials.