Preparation and characterization of pectin/hydroxyethyl cellulose/clay/TiO2 bionanocomposite films for microbial pathogen removal from contaminated water

Some of conventional wastewater disinfectants can have a harmful influence on the environment as well as human health. The aim of this investigation was synthesis and characterizes ecofriendly pectin/hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC)/clay and pectin/HEC/clay incorporated with titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2NPs) and use the prepared bionanocomposite as microbial disinfectants for real wastewater. Pectin/HEC/clay and pectin/HEC/clay/TiO2 bionanocomposite were characterized by various methods including X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). Mechanical properties and water vapor permeability (WVP) were carried out. The results of SEM showed that, the prepared bionanocomposite had a smooth surface. Additionally, TiO2 nanoparticles to the pectin/HEC/clay composites may lead to changes in the FTIR spectrum. The intensity of XRD peaks indicated that, TiO2NPs was small size crystallite. TGA illustrated that pectin has moderate thermal stability, while HEC generally exhibits good thermal stability. The TEM showed that, TiO2 nanoparticles have diameters <25 nm. On the other hand, antimicrobial activities of pectin/HEC/clay against Escherichia coli (E. coli), Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans have been enhanced by adding TiO2NPs. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of pectin/HEC/clay/TiO2 against E. coli was 200 mg/mL. Moreover, complete eradication of E. coli, Salmonella and Candida spp. from real wastewater was observed by using pectin/HEC/clay/TiO2 bionanocomposite. Finally, it can be concluded that, the synthesized bionanocomposite is environmentally friendly and considered an excellent disinfectant matter for removal of the microbial pathogens from wastewater to safely reuse.