Silver Nanomembrane and Ceramic Silver Nanofilter for Effective Removal of Water Borne Diarrhoegenic Escherichia coli

The provision of safe drinking water to rural and urban areas is one of the challenges of present century in the realm of public health. The present study focuses on an in vitro testing of the effectiveness of nanoscale silver based filtration units for the removal of bacterial pathogen contaminated water. Clinical isolates of diarrhoegenic Escherichia coli (E.coli) in measured volume of water was tested for most probable number (MPN) of E.coli by multiple tube test. The water samples were filtered through the ceramic silver nanofilter, plain polysulfone membrane and polysulfone membrane coated with silver nanoparticles with a pore size small enough to retain the pathogenic E.coli. The water sample was filtered through plain polysulfone nanomembrane without silver nanoparticles and ceramic silver nanofilters and the results were compared. Silver nanomembrane and ceramic silver nanofilter effectively retained and destroyed the pathogenic organism and thus exhibiting better protection over the plain polysulfone membrane. Research on metal nanoparticles having significant antimicrobial effect would be utilized for making cost effective water filter systems which could protect us from the water borne diseases.