A regenerative filter that includes a filter housing having inlet and outlet zones; a fluid path provided between the inlet and outlet zones; a plurality of filter elements each having an outer surface filter media applied thereto and functioning to filter particulate or contaminants from the fluid path; and a tube sheet that is supported across the filter housing, that is disposed just before the outlet zone and that provides the support for the plurality of filter elements. The plurality of filter elements are disposed in an array and includes bridging members or elements that connect between adjacent filter elements, and that forms with the filter elements, a closed interstitial space between adjacent filter elements for liquid flow; a nanoscale barrier on interior surfaces, including that of the regenerative media itself, providing a mechanism to disrupt the cell wall of microscopic viruses and organisms.