Lecture 17

Topic 06

Dr. M. Khabir Uddin

Professor
Department of Environmental Sciences
Jahangirnagar University
 Disinfection Theory:
Characteristics of Disinfectant
The characteristics of an ideal disinfectant are showed in the table:
Characteristic Properties/Responses
Availability Should be available in large quantities
and reasonably priced
Deodorizing ability Should deodorizing while disinfecting
Homogeneity Solution must be uniform in
composition
Interaction with extraneous material Should not be absorbed by organic
matter other than bacterial cells
Nontoxic to higher forms of life Should be toxic to microbes and
nontoxic to humans and other animals

Penetration Should have the capacity to penetrate

through surfaces
Safety Should be safe to transport, store,
handle, and use.
Solubility Must be soluble in water or cell tissue
 Disinfection Methods
 Disinfection is most commonly accomplished by the use of
 Chemical agents,
 Physical agents,
 Mechanical means, and
 Radiation

 Chemical agents
Chemical agents that have been used as disinfectants include
1. Chlorine and its compounds
2. Bromine
3. Iodine
4. Ozone
5. Phenol and phenolic compounds
6. Alcohols
7. Soaps and synthetic detergents
8. Peracetic acids etc.
Physical agents

 Physical disinfectants that can be used are heat, light, and

sound wave.

 Heating water to the boiling point, for example, will destroy

the major disease producing non-spore-forming bacteria.

 Sunlight is also a good disinfectant, due to primarily to the UV

radiation portion of the electromagnetic (EM) spectrum. The
decay of microbes observed in oxidation ponds is due, in part,
to their exposure to the UV component of the sunlight.

 Special lamps developed to emit UV rays have been used

successfully to disinfect water and wastewater.
Mechanical Means
 Bacteria and other organisms are also removed by mechanical
means during wastewater treatment.
 The typical removal efficiencies for various treatment operations
and processes are reported in the following table
Table: Removal of bacteria by different treatment processes

Process Percent removal

Coarse screens 0-5
Fine screens 10-20
Grit chamber 10-25
Plain sedimentation 25-75
Chemical precipitation 40-80
Trickling filters 90-95
Activated sludge 90-98
Chlorination of treated wastewater 98-99.999
Radiation
 The major types of radiation are electromagnetic, acoustic,
and particle.

 Gamma rays are emitted from radioisotopes, such as cobalt-

60. because of their penetration power, gamma rays have
been used to disinfect (sterilize) both water and wastewater.

 Although the use of a high-energy electron-beam device for

the irradiation of wastewater or sludge has been studied
extensively, there are no commercial devices or full-scale
installations in operation.
 Mechanisms of Disinfectants
• The five principal mechanisms that have been proposed to
explain the action of disinfectants are

I. Damage to the cell wall

II. Alteration of cell permeability
III. Alteration of the colloidal nature of the protoplasm
IV. Alteration of the organism DNA or RNA
V. Inhibition of enzyme activity.

• Damage of the cell wall will result in cell lysis and death. Some
agents such as penicillin, inhibit the synthesis of the bacterial
cell wall.
Cont…

• Agents such as phenolic compounds and detergents alter the

permeability of the cytoplasmic membrane. These substances
destroy the selective permeability of the membrane and allow
vital nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, to escape.
• Heat, radiation, and highly acid or alkaline agents alter the
colloidal nature of the protoplasm. Heat will coagulate the cell
protein and acids or bases will denature proteins, producing a
lethal effect.
• UV radiation can cause the formation of double bonds in
microorganisms as well as rupturing some DNA strands.
• The oxidizing agents like chlorine can alter the chemical
arrangement of enzymes and inactivate the enzymes.
Mechanism of Disinfection by using Chlorine, Ozone, and
UV
Chlorine Ozone UV radiation
Oxidation Direct oxidation/destruction Photochemical damage to
of cell wall RNA and DNA within the
cells of an organism

Reactions with available Reactions with radical The nucleic acids in

chlorine byproducts of ozone microbes are the most
decomposition important absorbers of the
energy of light in the wave
length range of 240-280
nm.
Protein precipitation Damage to the constituents Because of DNA and RNA
of the nucleic acids carry genetic information
for reproduction, damage of
these substances can
effectively inactivate the
cell.
 Factors influencing the action of disinfectants
• In applying the disinfection agents the following factors must be
considered:
A. Contact time: Perhaps the most important variables in the disinfection
process is contact time. For a given concentration of disinfectant, the
longer the contact time, the greater the kill (Harriet Chick, 1900).
B. Concentration of the disinfectant
C. Intensity and nature of physical agents: It has been found that
the effectiveness of a physical agent is a function of its intensity.
D. Temperature: The effect of temperature on rate of kill with chemical
disinfectants can be represented by a form of Hoff-Arrhenius relationship.
Increasing the temperature results in a more rapid kill.
Cont…

E. Types of organisms: The effectiveness of various

disinfectants will be influenced by the type, nature, and
condition of the organisms. For example, viable growing
bacteria cells are often killed more easily than the older
cells that developed a slime coating.

A.Nature of suspending liquid : In practice the nature of

suspending liquid must be evaluated carefully. For
example, extraneous organic material will react with
most oxidizing disinfectants and reduce their
effectiveness.
 Environmental impact of using Ozone
• It has been reported that ozone residuals can be acutely
toxic to aquatic life.
• However, because of ozone dissipates rapidly, ozone
residuals will normally not be found by the time the
effluent is discharge into the receiving water.
• Several investigator have reported that ozonation can
produce some toxic mutagenic and /or carcinogenic
compounds.
• These compounds are usually unstable, however, and are
present only for a matter of minutes in the ozonated
water.
Cont…
• It has been reported that ozone destroys certain harmful
refractory organic substances such as humic acid
( precursor of trihalomethane formation) and malathion.
• Whether toxic intermediates are formed during ozonation
depends on the ozone dose, contact time, and the nature
of the precursor compounds.
• White (1998) have reported that ozone treatment ahead of
chlorination for disinfection purposes reduces the
likelihood for the formation of THMs.
 Environmental impact of using UV radiation disinfection

 On the basis of the evidence to date, it appears that the

compounds formed at the UV dosage used for the disinfection
( 50 to 140 mJ/cm2) of wastewater are harmless or are broken
down into more innocuous forms.
 Thus the disinfection of wastewater with UV light is
considered to have no adverse environmental impacts.
 The environmental impacts and types of compounds formed
when UV radiation is used for the destruction of NDMA and
endocrine disruptors, typically at UV dosage greater than 400
mJ/cm2,is not known at present (2001)
End of lecture 17