Kombucha-Derived, Self-Regenerating Water Filtration Membranes

Presenter: Autumn Voyer

Faculty Sponsor: Jessica Schiffman

School: UMass Amherst

Research Area: Chemistry and Materials Science

Session: Poster Session 1, 10:30 AM - 11:15 AM, 163, C15

ABSTRACT

Water filters in recent development involve costly production and toxic solvents, and many end up in landfills as petroleum-based polymers. We propose a sustainable alternative using kombucha-derived bacterial cellulose (BC). BC is produced from a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast (SCOBY) that forms a mechanically strong cellulose network which can self-repair and act as a filter for removing harmful bacteria from water sources. Mechanical analysis and dead-end filtration of BC membranes determine the strength and viability of the biofilm’s filtration applications under harsh realistic conditions. Tensile testing and rheology before and after puncture by 18 and 25 G needles show a 53% recovery in tensile strength relative to initial injury and quantify the recovery of mechanical properties. Dead-end filtration using a BC membrane every 4 days following needle damage for a total of 12 days shows a 60 fold recovery in water flux as the sample self-heals in kombucha culture. The culture contains an optimized ratio of 15 wt% sucrose, 1.5 wt% black tea, and 10% culture containing 10^7 CFU/mL Komagataeibacter rhaeticus bacteria. This BC network regenerates through bacterial secretion of nanocellulose fibrils from the wound edges, causing the observed recovery of tensile strength and decreased permeability. This ability to repair inflicted damage and filter water makes it a candidate for future research in the creation of a bacterial scaffold containing enzymes like hydrolases to degrade plastics in waterways.

RELATED ABSTRACTS