Sand/charcoal N‐halamine blends for water treatment

N‐halamine polymeric material based on cellulose extracted from an agricultural waste (rice straw) was blended with sand/charcoal for disinfection purposes. The presence of N‐halamine between sand/charcoal particles in water filters prevents internal bacterial growth and kills filtered cells especially in the deep and lower parts of the filters. N‐halamine was blended with sand/charcoal with different ratios, 1:3, 1:2, 1:1, 2:1, and 3:1, and their antimicrobial activity was evaluated using different methods such as agar plate, agar blend, stirred flask, and column methods. Increasing the ratio of the cellulosic N‐halamine provides further filtration and disinfection action in water in addition to securing a clean medium between sand/charcoal particles especially in columns as models for water filters. The ratio 1:1 (sand/charcoal: N‐halamine) was found to be suitable for producing a recyclable water filter and recyclable water purification unit based on sand/charcoal‐ N‐halamine blends. POLYM. COMPOS., 35:2137–2143, 2014. © 2014 Society of Plastics Engineers