Antibacterial Characteristics of MgO-Mounted Spherical Carbons Prepared by Carbonization of Ion-Exchanged Resin

Abstract

Ion-exchange resins with particle size of 0.5mm were treated by an aqueous solution of MgSO₄ and then they were carbonized for 1h in a nitrogen gas at the temperature ranging from 300 to 1000°C. The amount of MgO in carbon samples was about 30mass%, irrespective of carbonization temperature. The antibacterial activity of carbon samples containing MgO was examined by the colony count method. The pH values in physiological saline dispersed within carbon samples were in the range of 9.4-9.8, but the values did not affect the occurrence of antibacterial activity. From the antibacterial tests, it was found that the antibacterial activity for Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus on carbon samples containing MgO increased with the increase of the carbonization temperature of the ion-exchanged resin.