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. 2023 Feb;30(8):22024-22032.
doi: 10.1007/s11356-022-23758-3. Epub 2022 Oct 25.

SARS-CoV-2 removal with a polyurethane foam composite

Guilherme Pereira Schoeler  1 , Thays França Afonso  2 , Carolina Faccio Demarco  2 , Victor Dos Santos Barboza  3 , Tito Roberto Sant'anna Cadaval Jr  4 , Andrei Valerão Igansi  4 , Marcos Alexandre Gelesky  4 , Janice Luehring Giongo  3 , Rodrigo de Almeida Vaucher  3 , Rafael de Avila Delucis  1   2 , Robson Andreazza  5   6
Affiliations

SARS-CoV-2 removal with a polyurethane foam composite

Guilherme Pereira Schoeler et al. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2023 Feb.

Erratum in

  • Correction to: SARS-CoV-2 removal with a polyurethane foam composite.
    Schoeler GP, Afonso TF, Demarco CF, Dos Santos Barboza V, Sant'anna Cadaval TR Jr, Igansi AV, Gelesky MA, Giongo JL, de Almeida Vaucher R, de Avila Delucis R, Andreazza R. Schoeler GP, et al. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2023 Feb;30(8):22033. doi: 10.1007/s11356-022-24031-3. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2023. PMID: 36329248 Free PMC article. No abstract available.

Abstract

The pandemic of COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2 disease) has been causing unprecedented health and economic impacts, alerting the world to the importance of basic sanitation and existing social inequalities. The risk of the spread and appearance of new diseases highlights the need for the removal of these pathogens through efficient techniques and materials. This study aimed to develop a polyurethane (PU) biofoam filled with dregs waste (leftover from the pulp and paper industry) for removal SARS-CoV-2 from the water. The biofoam was prepared by the free expansion method with the incorporation of 5wt% of dregs as a filler. For the removal assays, the all materials and its isolated phases were incubated for 24 h with an inactivated SARS-CoV-2 viral suspension. Then, the RNA was extracted and the viral load was quantified using the quantitative reverse transcription (RT-qPCR) technique. The biofoam (polyurethane/dregs) reached a great removal percentage of 91.55%, whereas the isolated dregs waste was 99.03%, commercial activated carbon was 99.64%, commercial activated carbon/polyurethane was 99.30%, and neat PU foam reached was 99.96% for this same property and without statistical difference. Those new materials endowed with low cost and high removal efficiency of SARS-CoV-2 as alternatives to conventional adsorbents.

Keywords: Biofoam; COVID-19; RT-q PCR.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
SEM images for dregs (a), CAC (b), dregs/PU foam (c), CAC/PU (d), and neat PU foam (e)
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
XRD for dregs (a), CAC (b), dregs/PU foam (c), CAC/PU (d), and neat PU foam (e)
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Infrared spectra for dregs (a), CAC (b), dregs/PU foam (c), CAC/PU (d), and neat PU foam (e)
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Point zero change for (a), CAC (b), dregs/PU foam (c), CAC/PU (d), and neat PU foam (e)
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Percentage SARS-CoV-2 removal (%) of with PU, dregs, dregs/PU, CAC/PU, and CAC. A triple asterisk represents values with a significant difference in relation to the Control with p˂0.05. Control represents free SARS-CoV-2 viral particles in water without the materials studied
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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