Chapter 11

Disinfection
 Fundamental of Disinfection

Disinfection is used in
water treatment to reduce
pathogens to an
acceptable level.

Disinfection is not the

same as sterilization
because sterilization
implies the destruction of
all living organisms.

Drinking water does not

need to be sterile to be
safe to drink.
 Categories of Human Enteric Pathogens are of
3 Concern in Drinking Water

1. Bacteria
2. Viruses
3. Amoebic cysts

Cryptosporidium Ocyst
Giardia Vibrio cholera

Disinfection must be capable of destroying all three.

 Properties of Disinfectants
4 To be of practical service, such water disinfectants must
possess the following properties:

1. They must destroy all kinds of pathogens that may

be present in water within a practical period of time
over an expected range of water temperatures.

2. They must be effective at variable compositions,

concentrations and conditions of the waters to be
treated.

3. It must be neither toxic to human and domestic

animals nor unpalatable or otherwise objectionable in
required concentrations.
having an unpleasant taste
 Properties of Disinfectants (Cont’)
5 4. It must be dispensable at reasonable cost and safe and
easy to store, transport, handle and apply.

5. Their strength or concentration in the treated water must

be determined easily, quickly and (preferable)
automatically.

6. Residual chlorine must persist within disinfected water

in a sufficient concentration to provide reasonable
residual protection against its possible recontamination
before use.

7. It must not from toxic by-products due to their reactions

with any naturally occurring material in the water.
 Principal Mechanisms that have been Proposed
to Explain the Action of Disinfectants
6

1. Damage to the cell wall

2. Alteration of cell permeability
3. Alteration of the colloidal nature of the protoplasm
4. Alteration of the organism DNA or RNA
5. Inhibition of enzyme activity

Common Disinfectants

1. Free chlorine
2. Combined chlorine
3. Ozone
4. Chlorine dioxide
5. Ultraviolet (UV) irradiation
 Disinfection Kinetics
Under ideal conditions, the rate of kill a type of microorganism can be
described by CHICK’S LAW.
Chick’s Law states that the number of organisms destroyed with respect to
time is proportional to the number of organisms:

dN
= kN
dt Where:
N =Number of organisms
k =F irst order rate constant

Increasing rates of kill (with time) may occur because of the time necessary
for the disinfectant to damage and inactivate the organism.

Decreased rates of kill may occur because of declining concentrations of

disinfectant in solution or poor distribution of organisms and disinfectant.

To account for these deviations, several modifications of Chick’s Law have

been proposed (e.g. CT concept in U.S.).
 CT concept

C = Concentration of disinfectant
T = Detention time in disinfection basin

This concept is used to determine the required dose of

a disinfectant to achieve a particular level of treatment
for a particular pH and temperature.

Tables of CT values have been prepared by U.S. EPA

and are used in designing and operating disinfection
systems.
 CT concept (Cont’)

t10 = Time that 90% of the water will be exposed in the disinfection chamber

t0 = Theoretical hydraulic retention time

 Example 11.1: Design of Disinfection Facility
(Serpentine = twisting)
Design a longitudinal-serpentine chlorine contact chamber for a design flow
of 18,400 m3/d. The required t10 to achieve a Ct of 200 is 100 min. The
design must provide a superior performance, that is t10/t0 = 0.7. Assume a
value of L < 40W and H = 3W.
Solution:

v
 Example 11.1: Design of Disinfection Facility (Cont’)
Solution (Con’t):
 Disinfection Using Chlorine
12

Chlorine is the most common disinfecting chemical used.

Three different methods of chlorine application;

1. Cl2 (Gas)
2. NaOCl (Liquid) – Sodium hypochlorite (bleach)
3. Ca(OCl)2 (Solid) – Calcium hypochlorite

Chlorine Gas:
✓ Cheaper
✓ Tends to decrease pH
✓ Each mg/L of chlorine added reduces the alkalinity
by up to 1.4 mg/L as CaCO3
 Other Disinfectants
Chlorine-based
Hypochlorite salts: NaOCl and
Ca(OCl)2
More expensive to purchase
Easier to handle
More common for small
supplies
Chloramines (NH2Cl, NHCl2, NCl3)
Longer contact time in primary
disinfectant
Used in combination with other
disinfectants
Chlorine dioxide (ClO2)
Very effective
Must be produced on site
Non-chlorine-based
Ozone (O3)
Very powerful oxidant → kills cysts
No taste and odor problems
Widely used in Europe
No harmful residual
More expensive than chlorine (produced
on-site)
Ultraviolet irradiation
Effective bactericide and viricide (agent
that destroy viruses)
Water must be free from turbidity and the
lamps are free from slime and
precipitates
No hamful residual
 Disinfection By-Products (DBP)
1. Trihalomethanes (THMs)
− 4 chemicals (chloroform, bromodichloromethane,
dibromochloromethane & bromoform)
− Formed when chlorine-based disinfectants react with organic
matter in water.
− There is evidence linking THMs to gastrointestinal tract cancers.
− Current regulations require water supplies to limit total THM
levels.
2. Haloacetic acids
− Formed when certain disinfectants react with organic and
inorganic matter in water.
3. Bromate
− Formed when ozone reacts with naturally occurring bromide
found in the wastewater.
4. Chlorite
− Formed during the generation of chlorine dioxide.
End of Chapter 11