Green sol-gel synthesis of novel nanoporous copper aluminosilicate for the eradication of pathogenic microbes in drinking water and wastewater treatment.

We used a green sol-gel synthesis method to fabricate a novel nanoporous copper aluminosilicate (CAS) material. Nanoporous CAS was characterized using X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), field emission transmission and scanning electron microscopies (FE-TEM/FE-SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and optical analyses. The CAS was also evaluated for use as a promising disinfectant for the inactivation of waterborne pathogens. The antimicrobial action and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of this CAS disinfectant were determined against eight microorganisms (Escherichia coli, Salmonella enterica, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, Candida albicans, and Aspergillus niger). An antimicrobial susceptibility testing of CAS was measured. Results of disc diffusion method pointed out that the diameters of the zone using well diffusion were wider than disc diffusion methods, and the findings also showed that the MIC of the CAS disinfectant against E. coli, S. enterica, and P. aeruginosa was 100 mg/L within 20 min of contact time. Meanwhile, the MIC of the CAS disinfectant was 100 mg/L within 40 min of contact time for the other strains. The efficacy of antimicrobial action (100%) reached within 20 to 40 min against all tested microbes. Herein, the antimicrobial susceptibility testing of CAS disinfectant showed no toxicity for human and bacterial cells. It can be concluded that nanoporous CAS is a promising, economically, and worthy weapon for water disinfection.