Manufacturing of poly(vinyl alcohol) aerogel enriched with waste garlic peel extract as an alternative eco-friendly solution for inactivation of waterborne pathogens during water disinfection

This study investigates the potential of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) aerogels loaded with different concentrations of garlic peel extract (GPE) as an innovative and eco-friendly matrix for water disinfection. Based on the utilized different concentrations of GPE, different aerogel samples were obtained and coded as GPE1/PVA, GPE2/PVA and GPE3/PVA. The characterization and applications of these aerogel samples were compared with PVA aerogel (GPE0/PVA). Firstly, the antibacterial properties of GPE were tested against four pathogenic bacterial strains: Salmonella enterica, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, and Streptococcus faecalis. Results demonstrated a concentration-dependent antibacterial activity, with the highest inhibition zones observed for S. enterica (28 mm) and K. pneumoniae (25 mm) at 100 µg/mL of GPE concentration. The GPE3/PVA aerogel demonstrated the strongest antibacterial effects and achieved 26.5 mm inhibition zone for S. enterica. The aerogel also exhibited excellent biofilm inhibition, with GPE3/PVA inhibiting biofilm formation by up to 100 % for S. enterica and 91.5 % for Str. faecalis. In disinfection trials, GPE3/PVA aerogel achieved complete bacterial inactivation within 150–240 min for all tested strains.