Glycopolymer N-halamine-modified biochars with high specificity for Escherichia coli eradication

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria contamination in environments imposes great threats to human life health.This research aims to develop novel targeted antibacterial biochars for achieving high selectivity to kill pathogenic Escherichia coli(E.coli).The glycopolymer N-halamine-modified biochars(i.e.,BCPMA-Cl)were synthesized by the modification of biochars with poly[2-(methacrylamido)glucopyranose-coacrylamide](P(MAG-co-AM),followed by chlorination treatment.Based on the results of FTIR,turbidity,XPS,and UV–vis,BCPMA-Cl was successfully synthesized and demonstrated to be able to eliminate Staphylococcus aureus(S.aureus)and E.coli.Especially,BCPMA-Cl possessed extremely potent to specific-killing 10^(4) CFU·ml^(-1) of E.coli with lower hemolytic activity(<5%).Additionally,the antibacterial mechanisms of BCPMA-Cl against bacteria were contact-killing and release-killing contributed by active chlorine(i.e.,Cl^(+)).Therefore,this work provided a cost-effective and facile approach for preparation of functional biochars used for bacteria-specific therapeutic applications via livestock pollutants as well as showing a promising strategy to avoid bacterial resistance.

Cow dung-derived biochars engineered as antibacterial agents for bacterial decontamination

Disposal of the pollutants arising from farming cattle and other livestock threatens the environment and public safety in diverse ways.Herein,we report on the synthesis of engineered biochars using cow dung as raw material,and investigating these biochars as antibacterial agents for water decontamination.By coating the biochars with N-halamine polymer and loading them with active chlorine (i.e.,Cl+),we were able to regulate them on demand by tuning the polymer coating and bleaching conditions.The obtained N-halamine-modified biochars were found to be extremely potent against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus.We also investigated the possibility of using these N-halamine-modified biochars for bacterial decontamination in real-world applications.Our findings indicated that a homemade filter column packed with N-halamine-modified biochars removed pathogenic bacteria from mining sewage,dairy sewage,domestic sewage,and artificial seawater.This proposed strategy could indicate a new way for utilizing livestock pollutants to create on-demand decontaminants.