Growth and Repair Potential of Three Species of Bacteria in Reclaimed Wastewater after UV Disinfection

Objective The growth and repair potential of three typical microorganisms in reclaimed water after UV disinfection was investigated to assess the effects of photo-reactivation and dark repair of microorganisms,and the microbial safety of reclaimed water following this procedure.Methods The growth and repair potential of Escherichia coli,a fecal coliform strain and Bacillus subtilis in the effluent of a biological wastewater treatment plant disinfected by a low-pressure UV lamp were investigated.Results Any increase in bacterial numbers in the effluent after UV disinfection was due to damage repair.Exposure to photo-reactivating light for 8-10 h after UV irradiation with a dose of 5 mJ/cm 2,the highest percentage of photo-reactivation observed for E.coli and the fecal coliform strain was 29% and 15% respectively.B.subtilis showed little photo-reactivation under these conditions.The percentage of photo-reactivation was related to the UV dose and the photo-reactivating time,and a function was developed to forecast the final concentrations of E.coli and the fecal coliform strain after UV disinfection with possible photo-reactivation.Conclusion Different species of bacteria displayed different responses to UV light and different repair potentials.The repair of indigenous bacteria in wastewater needs to be investigated in future work.

UV disinfection of Staphylococcus aureus in ballast water: Effect of growth phase on the disinfection kinetics and the mechanization at molecular level

This work aimed to study the inactivate kinetics of Staphylococcus aureus （S. aureus） in artificial seawater by ultraviolet radi- ation, establish relationships between model parameters and growth phases, and explain the mechanization of UV disinfection by molecular biological detection. Investigations were carried out for the validation of Chick-Watson, Collins-Selleck, Horn and Biphasic models when S. aureus was in stationary phase （t=14 h）. The results showed that the Biphasic kinetic model＇s R2 turned out to be the highest one （R2=0.9892） and RMSE was less than 0.5 （RMSE =0.2699）. The Biphasic kinetic model was better fit for ultraviolet disinfection than the other three models under the circumstance of this experiment and chosen to fit the ultraviolet disinfection curves for microorganisms at three growth phases. The sensitivity of microorganisms under ultraviolet radiation was in the following order： in exponential phase 〉 in stationary phase 〉 in lag phase by comparing the indexes of the Biphasic model （kl and x）. Besides, agarose gel electrophoresis was used in order to directly assess the damage to DNA of mi- croorganisms that were exposed to the different dose of UV irradiation. The results revealed that DNA damage caused by UV radiation was an important reason for the microorganism inactivation and as the UV dose increased, there was greater damage caused in DNA.

Effects of UV intensity and water turbidity on microbial indicator Inactivation

The effects of UV intensity and turbidity on selected microbial indicator inactivation were investigated. Results showed that UV disinfection was effective in killing all the selected microbial indicators, the resistance order of the microorganisms was as follows： MS-2 coliphage 〉 Bacillus subtilis 〉 E. coil 〉 Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans. UV intensity had influence on the inactivation of all the microorganisms, high UV disinfection efficency was obtained with higher UV intensity. Turbidity had impact on the bacteria inactivation rate, but there was no evidence that turbidity had any negative contribution to MS-2 coliphage. Under the same UV dosage, higher UV intensity could overcome the negative influence of turbidity on UV performance, enhanced microorganism inactivation effect in turbidity water.

Suspended particle effects on ClO_2/ultraviolet light combined disinfection of effluent

The concentration of suspended solids of effluent often varies in a wide range, therefore the dose of ultraviolet light （UV） in disinfection process needs to be adjusted to meet the disinfection criterion at a high frequency, and the desired disinfection effect is difficult to be ensured. The particles size and particle-associated fecal coliform （F.C.） contribution, and their influence on UV disinfection were investigated when ClO2 and UV combined disinfection process was used. The results showed that suspended solids content had a major impact on UV disinfection efficiency, especially the large particle size fraction. Particles （D〉10μm） associated F. C. were difficult to be disinfected and were the main part of the railings of F.C. inactivation curve. Pre-ClO2 oxidation could reduce the number of particles in effluent, and make large particles decrease to small ones. Therefore, the influence of particles on UV disinfection could be reduced after pre-ClO2 oxidation, and the resistance ability to particle loadings of combined process was enhanced. Moreover, the combined process has a lot of advantages, such as low toxicity, low operational/maintenance costs; it is also convenient to be established in the existing wastewater plant or the new planned one.

Impact of Suspended Particles and Enhancement Techniques on Ultraviolet Disinfection of a Secondary Effluent

The concentration of suspended solids in the secondary effluent often varies widely, leading to frequent adjustment of the UV dosage to meet the disinfection criterion. In addition, a desired disinfection rate is difficult to achieve sometimes. The authors studied the particle size distribution, contribution of particle-associated Fecal Coliform (F.C.), and their influences on UV disinfection. A combined disinfection process (chlorination with a subsequent UV disinfection) was tested to improve the disinfection effect. The results indicated that the content of suspended solids, especially that of large particles, has a strong impact on UV disinfection efficiency; D>10 μm particles associated F.C. are difficult to be disinfected and are the main part of the tailings of F.C. inactivation curves. Pre-chlorination could decrease the number of particles in the secondary effluent and transform the large particles into small ones, reducing the influence of particles on UV disinfection and enhancing the resistance ability of the combined process to particle loading.

Effective Solid Removal Technologies for Wash-Water Treatment to Allow Water Reuse in the Fresh-Cut Fruit and Vegetable Industry

Large quantities of fresh water are used intensively in the washing, cutting, peeling and disinfection of fruits and vegetables, resulting in high solids loading of the wash-water. Review of the literature shows that there is limited information available on how to treat this wash-water on-site. Accordingly, an investigative program was established by sampling wash-water from two industrial partners processing root vegetables to determine the best available approach. Bench scale technologies tested for solids removal were dissolved air flotation （DAF） and centrifuge, followed by ultraviolet （UV） disinfection to evaluate the potential for water reuse. The results showed that DAF and centrifuge were able to remove solids at an efficiency greater than 95%. The DAF process was also able to remove higher levels of dissolved matter and nutrients in comparison to the centrifuge. The DAF process was also able to produce waters with higher transmittance, which leads to improved filtration and UV disinfection for water reuse. Membrane filtration feasibility testing showed that high quality waters can be produced as low as 2 NTU and 4 NTU, following pretreatment with DAF and centrifuge, respectively. However, filtration was unable to remove E. coll. Collimated beam results show that UV disinfection is needed to allow for water reuse.

Sequential use of ultraviolet light and chlorine for reclaimed water disinfection

Several disinfection processes of ultraviolet （UV）, chlorine or UV followed by chlorine were investigated in municipal wastewater according to the inactivation of Escherichia coli, Shigella dysenteriae and toxicity formation. The UV inactivation of the tested pathogenic bacteria was not affected by the quality of water. It was found that the inactivated bacteria were obviously reactivated after one day in dark. Fluorescent light irradiation increased the bacteria repair. The increase of UV dosage could cause more damage to bacteria to inhibit bacteria self-repair. No photoreactivation was detected when the UV dose was up to 80 mJ/cm2 for E. coli DH5ct, and 23 mJ/cm2 for S. dysenteriae. Nevertheless, sequential use of 8 mJ/cm2 of UV and low concentration of chlorine （1.5 mg/L） could effectively inhibit the photoreactivation and inactivate E. coli below the detection limits within seven days. Compared to chlorination alone, the sequential disinfection decreased the genotoxicity of treated wastewater, especially for the sample with high NH3-N concentration.

UV light tolerance and reactivation potential of tetracycline-resistant bacteria from secondary effluents of a wastewater treatment plant

Tetracycline-resistant bacteria（TRB） are of concern as emerging microbial contaminants in reclaimed water.To understand the effects of UV disinfection on TRB,both inactivation and reactivation profiles of TRB,as well as 16 tetracycline-resistant isolates from secondary effluent,were characterized in this study.The inactivation ratio of TRB was significantly lower（3.0-log） than that of heterotrophic bacteria（〉4.0-log） in the secondary effluent.Additionally,the proportion of TRB significantly increased from 1.65%to 15.51%under20 mJ/cm^2 ultraviolet（UV） exposure.The inactivation rates of tetracycline-resistant isolates ranged from 0.57/s to 1.04/s,of which tetracycline-resistant Enterobacter-1 was the most tolerant to UV light.The reactivation of TRB,tetracycline-resistant isolated strains,as well as heterotrophic bacteria commonly occurred in the secondary effluent even after20 mJ/cm^2 UV exposure.The colony forming ability of TRB and heterotrophic bacteria reached 3.2-log and 3.0-log under 20 mJ/cm^2 UV exposure after 22 hr incubation.The final inactivation ratio of tetracycline-resistant Enterobacter-1 was 1.18-log under 20 mJ/cm^2 UV exposure after 22 hr incubation,which is similar to those of TRB（1.18-log） and heterotrophic bacteria（1.19-log）.The increased proportion of TRB and the reactivation of tetracycline-resistant enterobacteria in reclaimed water could induce a microbial health risk during wastewater reuse.

Inactivation and subsequent reactivation of Aspergillus species by the combination of UV and monochloramine: Comparisons with UV/chlorine

Ultraviolet(UV)/monochloramine(NHCl) as an advanced oxidation process was firstly applied for Aspergillus spores inactivation. This study aims to: i) clarify the inactivation and photoreactivation characteristics of UV/NHCl process, ii) compared with UV/Clin inactivation efficiency, photoreactivation and energy consumption. The results illustrated that UV/NHCl showed better inactivation efficiency than that of UV alone and UV/Cl, and could effectively control the photoreactivation. For instance, the inactivation rates for Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus fumigatus in the processes of UV/NHCl(2.0 mg/L) was 0.034, 0.030 and 0.061 cm^(2)/m J), respectively, which were higher than that of UV alone(0.027, 0.026 and 0.024 cm^(2)/m J) and UV/Cl(0.023, 0.026 and 0.031 cm^(2)/m J). However, there was no synergistic effect for Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus fumigatus. As for Aspergillus niger, the best synergistic effect can reach 1.86-log 10. This may be due to their different resistance to disinfectants, which were related to the size, an outer layer of rodlets(hydrophobins) and pigments. After UV/NHCl inactivation, the degree of cell membrane damage and intracellular reactive oxygen species were higher than that of UV alone. UV/NHCl had the advantages of high inactivation efficiency and inhibition of photoreactivation, which provides a new entry point for the disinfection of waterborne fungi.

DBP formation from degradation of DEET and ibuprofen by UV/chlorine process and subsequent post-chlorination

The formation of disinfection by-products（DBPs） from the degradation of N,N-diethyl-3-methyl benzoyl amide（DEET） and ibuprofen（IBP） by the ultraviolet irradiation（UV）/chlorine process and subsequent post-chlorination was investigated and compared with the UV/H_2O_2 process.The pseudo first-order rate constants of the degradation of DEET and IBP by the UV/chlorine process were 2 and 3.1 times higher than those by the UV/H_2O_2 process, respectively, under the tested conditions. This was due to the significant contributions of both reactive chlorine species U（RCS） and hydroxyl radicals（HO） in the UV/chlorine process. Trichloromethane, 1,1,1-trichloro-2-propanone and dichloroacetic acid were the major known DBPs formed after 90% of both DEET and IBP that were degraded by the UV/chlorine process. Their yields increased by over 50%after subsequent 1-day post-chlorination. The detected DBPs after the degradation of DEET and IBP comprised 13.5% and 19.8% of total organic chlorine（TOCl）, respectively, and the proportions increased to 19.8% and 33.9% after subsequent chlorination, respectively. In comparison to the UV/H_2O_2 process accompanied with post-chlorination, the formation of DBPs and TOCl in the UV/chlorine process together with post-chlorination was 5%–63% higher,Ulikely due to the generation of more DBP precursors from the attack of RCS, in addition to HO.

Concentrations of disinfection by-products in swimming pool following modifications of the water treatment process:An exploratory study

The formation and concentration of disinfection by-products（DBPs） in pool water and the ambient air vary according to the type of water treatment process used. This exploratory study was aimed at investigating the short-term impact of modifications of the water treatment process on traditional DBP levels（e.g., trihalomethanes（THMs）, chloramines） and emerging DBPs（e.g., Halonitromethanes, Haloketones, NDMA） in swimming pool water and/or air. A sampling program was carried to understand the impact of the following changes made successively to the standard water treatment process： activation of ultraviolet（UV）photoreactor, halt of air stripping with continuation of air extraction from the buffer tank,halt of air stripping and suppression of air extraction from the buffer tank, suppression of the polyaluminium silicate sulfate（PASS） coagulant. UV caused a high increase of Halonitromethanes（8.4 fold）, Haloketones（2.1 fold）, and THMs in the water（1.7 fold） and, of THMs in the air（1.6 fold） and contributed to reducing the level of chloramines in the air（1.6fold） and NDMA in the water（2.1 fold）. The results highlight the positive impact of air stripping in reducing volatile contaminants. The PASS did not change the presence of DBPs, except for the THMs, which decrease slightly with the use of this coagulant. This study shows that modifications affecting the water treatment process can rapidly produce important and variable impacts on DBP levels in water and air and suggests that implementation of any water treatment process to reduce DBP levels should take into account the specific context of each swimming pool.