Nanofiltro de celulose bacteriana para remoção de contaminantes de águas residuárias

Abstract

Water is a finite natural resource and essential for maintaining life on the planet. The increasing water scarcity has been aggravated by climate change, population growth, urbanization, and industrial and agricultural expansion. In addition, its exposure to various pollutants compromises its quality. Thus, to ensure water availability and quality, it is necessary to develop management strategies that encompass the recovery and reuse of contaminated wastewater that pose potential risks to human health and ecosystems. This study aimed to develop, characterize, and modify the bacterial cellulose membrane of Komagateibacter hansenii ATCC 23769 produced from agro-industrial coproducts, evaluating its efficiency in removing contaminants such as Escherichia coli and the herbicide atrazine. The cellulose membranes were modified through ex situ impregnation of chitosan and characterized regarding morphology, mechanical resistance, water-holding capacity, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis. Pure bacterial cellulose membranes and those modified with chitosan were subjected to nanofiltration assays in artificially contaminated water to evaluate the pollutant removal efficiency. The results demonstrated that the membranes reinforced with chitosan achieved better efficiency in removing contaminants, presenting greater bacterial retention and greater adsorption of the herbicide compared to pure bacterial cellulose. It is concluded that the membranes, especially when incorporated with chitosan, proved to be promising for the treatment of contaminated water.