High-Performance Virus Removal Filter Paper for Drinking Water Purification

Access to drinking water is one of the greatest global challenges today. In this study, the virus removal properties of mille-feuille nanocellulose-based filter papers of varying thicknesses from simulated waste water (SWW) matrix are evaluated for drinking water purification applications. Filtrations of standard SWW dispersions at various total suspended solid (TSS) content are performed, including spiking tests with 30 nm surrogate latex particles and 28 nm ΦX174 bacteriophages. Filter papers of thicknesses 9 and 29 µm are used, and the filtrations are performed at two different operational pressures, i.e., 1 and 3 bar. The presented data using SWW matrix show, for the first time, that a filter paper made from 100% nanocellulose has the capacity to efficiently remove even the smallest viruses, i.e., up to 99.9980-99.9995% efficiency, at industrially relevant flow rates, i.e., 60-500 L m h, and low fouling, i.e., > 10-10 L m. The filter paper presented in this work shows great promise for the development of robust, affordable, and sustainable water purification systems.