3D reduced graphene oxide filters decorated with silver nanoparticles for rapid removal of SARS-CoV-2 from water

Resumo

Viral contamination in aquatic environments poses an ongoing challenge for water quality monitoring and environmental management, requiring efficient, scalable nanotechnological solutions for water treatment. In this study, we evaluate three-dimensional graphene-based nanofilters, with and without silver nanoparticle functionalization, for the removal of viral particles from water using SARS-CoV-2 as a model enveloped virus relevant to wastewater systems. The synthesized porous reduced graphene oxide (rGO) architectures all exhibited viral removal capacity. However, the silver and/or silver oxide-decorated material (10Ag-CTAB) showed the highest performance, achieving up to 99.1% efficiency in removing and retaining viral RNA signal from water at neutral pH and maintaining robust performance across acidic, neutral, and alkaline conditions, representative of natural waters and wastewater environments. The enhanced performance of 10Ag-CTAB can be attributed to the synergistic effects of the three-dimensional graphene structure and silver-based nanophases, which promote effective viral capture and retention. These findings demonstrate the potential of graphene-based nanofilters as a versatile and sustainable environmental nanotechnology for mitigating viral contamination in water treatment and management applications.