A comparative study of zeolite loaded copper oxide and iron oxide nanoparticles and its effect on antibacterial and antifungal activity against six bacterial and three fungal isolates o

Nanomaterials are well suited for water purification, disinfection and wastewater treatment applications. Antimicrobial nanoparticles can disinfect polluted water without formation of harmful disinfection by-products. Hence the present study is focused on the comparison of Zeolite loaded Copper oxide and Iron oxide nanoparticles and its effect on antibacterial and antifungal activity against bacteria and fungi isolated from secondary effluent. The chemically synthesized Copper oxide nanoparticles loaded zeolite (CuONZ) and Iron oxide nanoparticles loaded zeolite (Fe3O4NZ) were characterized by UV-Vis, SEM - EDAX, XRD and FTIR. The antibacterial activity was carried out by both qualitatively and quantitatively. The antibacterial activity of CuONZ and Fe3O4NZ was tested against E.coli, Klebsiellapneumoniae, Salmonella typhi, Shigella boydii, Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis isolated from secondary effluent and it was tested with CuONZ and Fe3O4NZ at the concentration of 0.25g in sterile effluent and at the concentration of 0.25g and 2.5g of CuONZ and Fe3O4NZ in non sterile effluent. Excellent antibacterial activity was obtained with CuONZ. The antifungal activity of CuONZ and Fe3O4NZ was tested against Candida albicans, Aspergillus niger and Rhizopus spp. and the results showed that CuONZ played a significant antimicrobial activity. The metal oxide nanoparticles were stable during contact with microorganisms. Hence, natural Zeolite loaded nanoparticles could find the subsequent application in the disinfection of secondary effluent and removal of pathogenic microorganisms in the tertiary stage of wastewater treatment.