A review of the potential of conventional and advanced membrane technology in the removal of pathogens from wastewater

Abstract

Consumption of pathogenic contaminated water has claimed the lives of many people. Hence, this scenario has emphasized the urgent need for research methods to avoid, treat and eliminate harmful pathogens in wastewater. Therefore, effective water treatment has become a matter of utmost importance. Membrane technology offers purer, cleaner, and pathogen-free water through the water separation method via a permeable membrane. Advanced membrane technology such as nanocomposite membrane, membrane distillation, membrane bioreactor, and photocatalytic membrane reactor can offer synergistic effects in removing pathogen through the integration of additional functionality and filtration in a single chamber. This paper also comprehensively discussed the application, challenges, and future perspective of the advanced membrane technology as a promising alternative in battling pathogenic microbial contaminants, which will also be beneficial and valuable in managing pandemics in the future as well as protecting human health and the environment. In addition, the potential of membrane technology in battling the ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was also discussed briefly.

Keywords: Advanced membrane technology; Membrane technology; Pathogen; Virus; Wastewater.

Fig. 1

Transmission route of the virus through faecal matter into main water streams .

Fig. 2

Membrane separation processes according to the particle size

Fig. 3

a) SEM image of a cross-section of UF membrane with pore size 0.04 μm and a schematic diagram on the effect of fouling by (b) dissolved species (orange scribble), (c) suspended particles, (d) both dissolved species and suspended particles (blue dots represent adenovirus, orange scribbles represent dissolved species, grey spheres represent suspended particles) .

Fig. 4

UF efficiency on high concentrations of virus that were conducted in the laboratory compared to low concentrations of virus that found in groundwater and surface water .

Fig. 5

a) Schematic diagram of MRA with SEM images of PVDF and PAN membranes, b) interception efficiency of phage F2 by different membrane modules, c) removal efficiency of phage F2 by the nano-TiO₂ MAR coupling in the continuous operation system.

Fig. 6

The mechanism of cell disinfectant by Ag nanoparticles .

Fig. 7

Bacterial adherence studies on membrane surfaces of neat polysulfone and PSf/Cu, PSf/Ag/Cu and PSf/Ag nanocomposite membranes .

Fig. 8

(a) Schematic diagram of the bench-scale DCMD for pathogen removal from water, (b) Effect of feed temperature on the concentration of MS2 and PhiX174 at temperature 25, 45, 55, and 65 °C .

Fig. 9

The biocidal activity mechanism of the immobilized (a) CNTs and (b) GO in the membrane for MD application .

Fig. 10

The mechanism of the virus removal process via MBR. (1) Electrostatic repulsion, sorption, and size rejection onto the membrane; (2) attachment onto the biomass layer attached on the membrane surface and pore-blocking effect; (3) predation and adsorption of suspended biomass; and (4) spontaneous inactivation and decay process .

Fig. 11

a) Removal of P22 bacteriophage by (1) stand-alone MF, (2) stand-alone UV, (3) nonphotocatalytic hybrid MF-UV, (4) photocatalytic hybrid MF-UV. (b-c) SEM images of photocatalytic hybrid ceramic membrane (d) schematic illustration of the virus inactivation by hybrid photocatalytic MF-UV membrane .