ARS | Publication request: COMBINATION OF CHLORINE-FREE ELECTROLYTIC AND PHOTOCHEMICAL METHODS FOR STERILIZATION OF CONTAMINATED WATERS

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: April 3, 2006
Publication Date: June 21, 2006
Citation: Barashkov, N.N., El Fenni, M., Eisenberg, D., Eisenberg, S., Lam, L., Hernlem, B.J. Combination of chlorine-free electrolytic and photochemical methods for sterilization of contaminated waters [Abstract]. The 232nd ACS National Meeting. Paper ENVR 161.

Technical Abstract: The most common method of sanitizing drinking water through chlorination relates to growth of cardiovascular and oncological diseases. Therefore new regulations for drinking water treatment are leading to alternatives to chlorine disinfection. By 2010, it is predicted that 50 percent of the systems will use water treatments other than chlorine. In this study we investigated the possibility of using an electrolytic treatment of phosphate buffer, contaminated with non-pathogenic bacteria Escherichia coli B (E. coli B) by pumping it through an electrochemical cell with 10 stainless steel electrodes at an AC current dose of 0.5-0.6 A, voltage 50 V and flow rate 10 G/min (close circulating system). It was found that the concentration of bacteria could be decreased in 10^6 times within 30 min of experiment. An even more significant sanitizing effect on suspension of E. coli B in phosphate buffer was obtained by pumping this suspension in laboratory setup through a glass tube (irradiated with a low intensity visible light for generation of the singlet oxygen from the triplet oxygen dissolved in water), containing the glass coated with dispersion of water insoluble aluminum salt of fluorescein: decrease of the concentration of bacteria in 10^6 times was reached after 20 min of experiment. We found that due to a combined sanitizing effect from simultaneously applied AC current and photochemical generation of the singlet oxygen bacteria can be killed for 10-15 min of experiment.