Facultad de Ciencias Químicas

Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León

TRATAMIENTO DE AGUAS

Desinfección

Dr. Refugio Bernardo García Reyes

Indicator organisms used in establishing performance criteria
for various water uses and types
Reported microorganism concentrations in untreated municipal
wastewater. (Adapted from Crittenden et al., 2005.)
Reported microorganism median infectious dose. (Adapted
from Crittenden et al., 2005.)
Survival of enteric pathogens and indicator
bacteria in freshwaters.
Characteristics for an ideal disinfectant

 An ideal disinfectant would have to possess a wide range

of characteristics such as:

1. safe to handle and apply,

2. stable in storage,
3. toxic to microorganisms,
4. nontoxic to higher forms of life, and
5. soluble in water or cell tissue.

 It is also important that the strength or concentration of the

disinfectant be measurable in reclaimed water.

 The latter consideration is an issue with the use of ozone,

where little or no residual remains after disinfection, and
UV disinfection where no residual is measurable.
Disinfection agents and methods in water reclamation

• Chlorine and its compounds and ozone are the

principal chemical compounds employed for the
disinfection of reclaimed water.

• Other chemical agents that have been used as

disinfectants in different applications include:
bromine, iodine, phenol and phenolic compounds,
alcohols, heavy metals and related compounds,
dyes, soaps and synthetic detergents, quaternary
ammonium compounds, hydrogen peroxide,
peracetic acid, various alkalies, and various acids.
Disinfection agents and methods in water reclamation

Disinfection with chemical agents is accomplished

by mixing thoroughly the diluted disinfecting agent
with the liquid to be disinfected (treated effluent in
water reclamation applications) and allowing
sufficient time for the disinfectant to react with the
microorganisms that may be present in the liquid.
Disinfection agents and methods in water reclamation

Decay of microorganisms observed in oxidation

ponds is due, in part, to their exposure to the
ultraviolet (UV) light component of sunlight of
the electromagnetic spectrum.

Special lamps developed to emit UV light have

been used successfully to disinfect reclaimed
water.

Disinfection with UV light is accomplished by

exposing the microorganisms in the liquid to UV
light.
Mechanisms used to explain action of disinfectants

The five principal mechanisms that have been

proposed to explain the action of disinfectants
are:
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,
and
5. Inhibition of enzyme activity.
Removal or destruction of total coliform by different treatment processes
Physical facilities used for disinfection: diluted chlorine
and related compounds

Baffled serpentine
contact chambers

Tubular plug-
flow reactor.
 Serpentine plug-flow
chlorine contact basin
with end deflectors.

Serpentine plug-flow
chlorine contact basin
with rounded corners
and flow deflection
baffles.
Physical facilities used for disinfection: ozone

Multiple
chamber inline
ozone contactor

Sidestream
ozone
injection
system.
 Typical ozone
generator.

Ozone contactors
used in conjunction
with sidestream
ozone injection.
Physical facilities used for disinfection: UV

UV irradiation in
an open channel
with two UV
banks with flow
parallel to UV
lamps

UV irradiation in a
closed reactor with
flow perpendicular
to UV lamps
 Open channel UV reactor.

Closed in-line UV reactor

Contact time: Chick´s law
Watson´s law
Chick and Watson´s law

Si n=1
Λ=-0.102 L/mg min
¿es correcto (base e o 10)?
Effect of temperature

1 E T1  T2 
ln 
2 RT1T2
  Nt   1  Ea (T1  T2 )
ln    C t
n
ln   
 N0   2  RT1T2
13.2 min @ 5°C
7.2 min @ 20°C
Ultraviolet light (UV)
 NOM SS NOM
+
SS

a b c

Departures observed from the Chicks’ law: (a) lag or shoulder effect in which
the disinfectant reacts first with constituents in the suspending liquid after
which the response is log-linear, (b) log-linear response followed by tailing
effect in which large particles shield the organisms to be disinfected following
the inactivation of dispersed organisms, and (c) combined lag, log-linear, and
tailing effects.
Disinfection curve
Chlorine compounds
The principal chlorine compounds used at water
reclamation plants are:

1. chlorine (Cl2),
2. sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl), and
3. chlorine dioxide (ClO2).

Calcium hypochlorite [Ca(OCl)2], another chlorine

compound is used in small treatment plants because of its
ease of handling.
Generalized curve obtained during breakpoint chlorination of wastewater.
 RENNECKER–MARIÑAS MODEL
• Some organisms do not exhibit significant inactivation
until a certain Ct value has been exceeded.
• This inactivation response is observed, for example,
when chemical disinfectants are applied to oocysts
and endospores.
 COLLINS–SELLECK MODEL
The Collins–Selleck model was developed
specifically to address the inactivation of coliform
organisms in domestic wastewater using free and
combined chlorine.
 HOM–HAASD MODEL
Hom (1972) proposed an empirical model of
survival versus disinfectant concentration that Haas
subsequently refined (Haas and Joffe, 1994).
Summer 22.1 mg/L
Winter 9.5 mg/L
Problema 1. A treatment plant has been designed
to achieve 99 percent inactivation of C. parvum
using ozonation. The engineer used data on
ozonation of C. parvum at 20°C for the design, but
the plant operates in a northern climate and
current estimates are that the low water
temperature in some winters will be 1.0°C.
Estimate how much inactivation the plant will
actually achieve when the water is at that
temperature. You may assume that the inactivation
of C. parvum follows the Chick–Watson
relationship. Use Ea=80 kJ/mol reported by
Rennecker et al (1999) for this particular
disinfection process (valor 30%).