Disinfection of waterborne viruses using silver nanoparticle-decorated silica hybrid composites in water environments

SungJun Park; Young-Seon Ko; Haeyong Jung; Cheonghoon Lee; Kyoungja Woo; GwangPyo Ko

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.12.318

Disinfection of waterborne viruses using silver nanoparticle-decorated silica hybrid composites in water environments

Sci Total Environ. 2018 Jun 1:625:477-485. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.12.318. Epub 2017 Dec 29.

Authors

SungJun Park¹, Young-Seon Ko², Haeyong Jung³, Cheonghoon Lee⁴, Kyoungja Woo², GwangPyo Ko⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Graduate School of Public Health, Seoul National University, 1 Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea; N-Bio, Seoul National University, 1 Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
² Nanophotonics Research Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, 39-1 Hawolgok-dong, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
³ Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Graduate School of Public Health, Seoul National University, 1 Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
⁴ Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Graduate School of Public Health, Seoul National University, 1 Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea; Institute of Health and Environment, Seoul National University, 1 Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
⁵ Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Graduate School of Public Health, Seoul National University, 1 Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea; N-Bio, Seoul National University, 1 Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: gko@snu.ac.kr.

PMID: 29291562
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.12.318

Abstract

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have been reported as an effective alternative for controlling a broad-spectrum of pathogenic viruses. We developed a micrometer-sized silica hybrid composite decorated with AgNPs (AgNP-SiO₂) to prevent the inherent aggregation of AgNPs, and facilitated their recovery from environmental media after use. The production process had a high-yield, and fabrication was cost-effective. We evaluated the antiviral capabilities of Ag30-SiO₂ particles against two model viruses, bacteriophage MS2 and murine norovirus (MNV), in four different types of water (deionized, tap, surface, and ground). MNV was more susceptible to Ag30-SiO₂ particles in all four types of water compared to MS2. Furthermore, several water-related factors, including temperature and organic matter content, were shown to affect the antimicrobial capabilities of Ag30-SiO₂ particles. The modified Hom model was the best-fit disinfection model for MNV disinfection in the different types of water. Additionally, this study demonstrated that the effects of a certain level of physical obstacles in water were negligible in regards to the use of Ag30-SiO₂ particles. Thus, effective use of AgNPs in water disinfection processes can be achieved using our novel hybrid composites to inactivate various waterborne viruses.

Keywords: Antiviral agents; Murine norovirus; Silica hybrid composite; Silver nanoparticle; Water disinfection.