Bactericidal Performance of Chlorophyllin-Copper Hydrotalcite Compounds

Copper hydrotalcites with and without adsorbed chlorophyllin exhibit a bactericidal effect that depends on the copper release and the basicity, which can be tuned through the chlorophyllin adsorption. The prepared solids performed well for the elimination of Escherichia coli, Enterobacter aerogenes, Salmonella enterica, and Staphylococcus aureus bacteria. The results showed that the copper-containing hydrotalcite with the adsorbed chlorophyllin is the most active material. Wastewaters from a metal industry were treated with these hybrid compounds, and the bactericidal effect was comparable with the results reported using more complex methods such as photocatalysis. Furthermore, one main advantage of these hybrid compounds is its low human toxicity compared with silver-containing materials.