Bi2O3/Nylon multilayered nanocomposite membrane for the photocatalytic inactivation of waterborne pathogens and degradation of mixed organic pollutants

Worldwide there is an increasing demand for clean water and sanitation systems and any different solutions are under evaluation, including advanced oxidation processes such as photocatalysis. This work describes the scalable synthesis process of an electrospun composite membrane made of Nylon and embedded α/β-Bi2O3 nanoparticles that can be activated by visible light instead of UV light typically used with other nanomaterials (e.g. TiO2). As a proof of concept, the efficacy of the α/β-Bi2O3 electrospun composite membrane in the visible light inactivation of pollutants and pathogens was demonstrated in a Continuous-flow Photocatalytic Membrane Reactor, highlighting the great potential of this advanced photocatalytic process for clean water and sanitation.