Water decontamination by silver and copper montmorillonite

Several bactericide inorganic materials have been used for the purification of water with varying success. The characterisation of the incorporation of Ag or Cu cations in montmorillonite (MMT) clay, to obtain a bactericide material against E. coli, indicated that both outer and interlayer surfaces act as adsorption sites of AgO and Ag2O or CuO, respectively. The Ag-exchanged clays retain their bactericide ability even after being stirred in aqueous suspension, whereas samples with the highest concentration of Cu do not inhibit bacterial growth. Experiences from supernatants of Cu-exchanged clays indicated that bactericide capacity was present at high clay concentration.