Fabrication of cellulose nanocrystal composite filter papers for rapid and highly efficient removal of bacteria from aqueous solutions

Cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) composite filter papers were fabricated by a facile method, which consists of the bleaching and hydrolysis of fibers, and drop coating of filter papers with CNC solution. The filter properties of the composite filter papers were applied for the removal of bacteria from aqueous solutions. Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) were used to evaluate the bacteria removal performance of the CNC composite filter papers. It is indicated that the nanopores formed by nanoscale rod-like crystals contribute to the bacteria removal capacity of porous CNC nanocomposite filter papers. Overlapped five layers of the CNC composite filter papers displayed a rapid (0.12 L/min) and highly efficient removal (remove rate at ~ 100%) of bacteria from aqueous solutions. Due to their advantages of convenient preparation, sustainable materials and low cost, the CNC composite filter papers have promising prospects and potential applications in many fields concerning bacteria removal and water purification.