Membrane Technology for Pathogenic Virus Removal: A Comprehensive Review of Centralized and Decentralized Water Treatment Processes

The recent COVID-19 pandemic has once again drawn attention to the risks of pathogenic viruses, as viruses can be transmitted through water environments, posing a threat to human health. Membrane technology, as a novel, green, and effective water treatment process, has been widely applied in the removal of pathogenic viruses from wastewater and drinking water. However, compared to refined centralized water treatment processes in urban areas, rural areas still lack effective water treatment strategies for decentralized water supply and drainage systems. Therefore, this review provides a comprehensive analysis of the hazards and transmission pathways of viruses, the mechanisms and influencing factors of virus removal by membrane processes. Based on the characteristics of centralized and decentralized water treatment systems, it further summarizes the application scenarios and effectiveness of the most widely used membrane processes. We emphasize the need for context-specific development of membrane-based water treatment processes tailored to urban or rural areas, addressing both water supply and wastewater treatment processes, to ensure comprehensive public health safety in water environments. In addition, this review also discusses several challenges that membrane technology faces in virus removal, providing new insights for further research in membrane processes.