Antibacterial, Antifungal, and Antibiotic Adsorption Properties of Graphene-Modified Nonwoven Materials for Application in Wastewater Treatment Plants

Abstract

The utilization of adsorptive nonwovens as a pretreatment unit may lead to novel, cost-efficient wastewater treatment technologies with remarkable properties for environmental protection, such as efficient adsorption of antibiotics. This paper uses graphene-modified nonwoven (GMN) to examine (i) how the adsorption of tetracycline (TCY)—especially since this antibiotic is frequently detected in the environment—takes place on an environmentally relevant concentration scale, and (ii) what factors influence the antibacterial and antifungal properties profile of this material class. This study demonstrates that combining graphene particles with commercial textile auxiliaries clearly enhances the antibacterial and antifungal properties of the modified nonwoven materials. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect the TCY residues at ng/mL scale. The adsorption results follow Henry and Redlich–Peterson isotherms and emphasize the adsorption process at low concentration levels of TCY. Therefore, the appropriately designed GMNs have a great potential application for wastewater treatment in sewage plants. Statistical analysis (skewness and kurtosis) of nonwovens and modified nonwovens morphology allowed us to determine the parameters influencing the growth of fungi in such structures. GMN structures are capable of adsorbing antibiotics; a two-fold reduction of TCY was obtained in the studies.