Contaminated water can lead to life-threatening diseases, yet 1 in 3 people don’t have access to safe drinking water. In many cases, membrane filters present a promising solution due to their simplicity and low energy consumption. However, these filters often face biofouling issues as bacteria builds up on the surface and decreases water flux along with the filter lifespan. The purpose of the project was to make an environmentally friendly and biofouling resistant water filter using graphene oxide and bacterial cellulose.

The filter was created by mixing kombucha,graphene oxide nanoparticles, and sugary tea and incubated at 30 degrees cellulose to create a bacterial cellulose film. The film was then treated with 0.3% hydrogen peroxide and dried.

To test filtration, an E. coli water solution was filtered in a vacuum filtration system, and a LaMotte Turbidity test kit was used to quantify the amount of bacteria before and after filtration. For flow rate, the filtration time was measured, and for flexibility resistance, the filters were folded along the same line until failure.

This study produced statistically significant results that demonstrated increased filtration of E. coli with a cellulose/graphene oxide and cellulose filter instead of a standard paper filter. The cellulose/graphene oxide and cellulose filters also had a higher flexibility than a paper filter. Both membranes demonstrated potential as more eco-friendly replacements for current filtration technologies. Future studies include testing the filtration of other pollutants and impact of different post membrane formation treatments on permeability.