Preloading Long-Chain Quaternary Ammonium Groups to Synthesize a High-Efficient Anion-Exchange Resin for Eliminating Bacterial Contaminants in Drinking Water

Bacterial contamination in drinking water is a global health concern, necessitating the development of highly efficient treatment techniques. Anion-exchange resins (AERs) have long been employed for removing anionic contaminants from drinking water, but their performance for bacterial contamination is poor. Here, we develop a novel AER (AER_6-1) with exceptional bactericidal effects and ultrafast adsorption rates of extracellular DNA (eDNA) (2.2- and 11.5-fold compared to other AERs) achieved through preloading quaternary ammonium groups (QAGs) with hexyl chain (-C₆-N⁺-) on the resin exterior and successively grafting QAGs with a methyl chain (-C₁-N⁺-) inside a resin pore. The AER_6-1 outperforms other commercial AERs and ultraviolet disinfection, exhibiting superior elimination of total bacteria, potential pathogens (<i>Escherichia coli</i> and <i>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</i>), eDNA, and antibiotic resistance genes (<i>mex</i>F, <i>mex</i>B, and <i>bac</i>A) in actual drinking water, while maintaining a comparable anion exchange capacity with other commercial AERs. Theoretical calculations of density functional theory and xDLVO combined with XPS elucidate the crucial roles of hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic force provided by the resin skeleton and -C₆-N⁺- in cleaving the bacterial cell membrane and increasing the adsorption kinetics on eDNA. This study broadens the scope of AERs and highlights an effective way of simultaneously removing bacterial and anionic contaminants from drinking water.