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Evaluating nanofiber-based filter for domestic water filtration
Summary
Scientists tested a new type of filter made from super-thin fibers to see if it could remove tiny plastic particles (smaller than what most home filters catch) from drinking water, using gravity alone rather than pumps. The best-performing filter blend removed nearly 88% of these microplastic stand-ins, though it let water through more slowly—showing a common trade-off between filtering well and filtering fast. This early-stage research is promising for developing better home water filters that could reduce our exposure to microplastics, but more work is needed before these filters are ready for household use.
Microplastics (MPs) are increasingly detected in drinking water, raising concerns regarding chronic human exposure and domestic water quality. This master’s thesis evaluates the performance of electrospun nanofibrous membranes fabricated using the Acouspin platform for removal of submicron polystyrene (PS) particles. PS particles (0.2 µm) were used as model microplastics and surrogate particles within pathogen-relevant size ranges. Filtration performance was investigated under gravity-driven laboratory conditions by measuring PS removal efficiency and permeate flux. Structural characteristics of the membranes, including average pore size and fiber diameter, were analyzed to examine relationships with filtration behavior using linear regression. The results show that membrane composition strongly influenced PS removal efficiency, whereas permeate flux was primarily controlled by pore size. Although all membranes exhibited pore sizes larger than the PS particle diameter, measurable removal was still observed, indicating retention was not controlled by size exclusion alone. PAN/PVA composite membranes achieved removal efficiencies up to 87.7%, but exhibited lower permeate flux than pure PAN membranes, reflecting a permeability–selectivity trade-off. A strong positive relationship between pore size and flux was observed (R² = 0.865), while the relationship between pore size and removal efficiency was weak and not statistically significant. Overall, this study demonstrates that electrospun nanofibrous membranes can enhance submicron particle retention under gravity-driven conditions through combined structural and physicochemical mechanisms. The findings provide a framework for evaluating nanofiber membranes for domestic water filtration and identify key parameters for further optimization.