Lecture-10 : Disinfection

Outlines

 Disinfection-definition

 Importance of disinfection

 Disinfection mechanism

 Disinfection methods

 Disinfection by-products

Assoc Prof, Dr. Naim Rashid; E-mail: nrashid@mce.nust.edu.pk

The most toxic water pollutants—Pathogens

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 Waterborne Diseases
• Drinking Water: a critical medium of transmission of human disease.
• Drinking water contamination by sewage or human excrement: the
greatest danger to public health.

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 Disinfection
Destruction of pathogenic (disease causing) and other kinds
of microorganisms by physical, chemical, mechanical or by
other means.

Mechanisms

 Destroy cell components (cell wall or DNA)

 Inhibit energy production, inactivating certain enzymes

 Inhibit cell growth by preventing biosynthesis

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 Disinfection methods
Chemical agents: Chlorine, bromine, iodine, phenol, alcohols, heavy metals,
dyes, soaps and detergents, hydrogen peroxide, alkalies, and acids

Non-ionization radiations: Electromagnetic waves, heat, UV light, Pasteur-

ization

Ionization radiations: Alpha, beta particles, gamma rays, x rays, and neu-
trons, high-energy electron beam

Mechanical: Screening, sedimentation, filtration, membrane operation

Chemical, physical, electrochemical, and mechanical

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Cell structure

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 Disinfection mechanisms

disinfection of drinking wa-

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ter
 Chlorination

Cl2(g) + H2O HOCl + HCl

HOCl OCl- + H+
HOCl has high redox potential and thus, better than OCl-
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 Benefits of Chlorination

• Protecting our drinking water supply from waterborne

diseases for over 80 years
– Powerful germicidal potency: cholera, typhoid, dysentery, hepati-
tis A eliminated
– Residual disinfection properties
– Efficiency
– Economy
• In over 98% of disinfection systems in US.

But chlorination has a critical disadvantage!

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 Chlorine Disinfection By-Product
(CDBP)

• CDBPs

Thrihalomethane (THM) : CHClxBr3-x

• CHCl3, CHBrCl2, CHBr2Cl, CHBr3
Haloacetic acid (HAA) : CClxBryCOOH

• CDBPs come from chlorination of NOM (Natural Organic

Matters)

• CDBPs are very well-known carcinogenic materials.

• Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL):60ug/L for THM,

:80ug/L for HAA
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Parameters Affecting CDBP Forma-
tion
• TOC (Total Organic Carbon)
• Reaction time
• Chlorine concentration
• NOM (Natural Organic Matter) characteristics
• pH
• Temperature

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 Alternatives to Chlorination

• Chlorine dioxide disinfection

•
• Ozonation

• Ultraviolet (UV) disinfection

• Electrochemical disinfection

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 Chlorine Dioxide disinfection

• Powerful germicidal potency

• Good ability for inactivating viruses (inactivat-

ing RNA)
• Residual disinfection properties
• No THMs but ClO2- (Cyanosis)
• Production cost is too high
• High instability must be generated on site 14
disinfection of drinking wa-
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Advantages and disadvantages of chlorination

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 Ozonation

 O3 +H2O 2HO2*
O3 + 2HO2*  HO* + O2
 HO* is very useful disinfection agent
(Harmless, the 2nd strongest oxidant)

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disinfection of drinking wa-
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ter
 Advantages and disadvantages of ozonation

disinfection of drinking wa-

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 UV disinfection
-Produced by striking electric arc between two electrodes
containing liquid mercury.
-Mercury gets evaporated and excites electron , produce
energy photons (UV)

• Wavelength range : UVB (280~320nm)

UVC (200~280nm)
 The most effective wavelength = 254 nm

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disinfection of drinking wa-
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ter
 Advantages and disadvantages of UV disinfection

disinfection of drinking wa-

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 Electrochemical Disinfection

e e-
- H2
• Electrogeneration of powerful oxi-
dants, O3, OH*, H2O2 Input e- H+ e-
H2O

• Electro-sorption of microbes
• Electric shock e-
H+
e-

O2 H+
e- e-
H2O
Output

Anode Cathode

Proton exchange
membrane

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disinfection of drinking wa-
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 Comparison

Disinfectant Solubility Residual Germicidal Cost Harmful

Potency Rank By-
Products
Chlorine High Yes Very Good 1 Yes
Chlorine High Yes Good 4 ClO2-
Dioxide
Ozone Limited No Best 3 Yes, but
limited
Ultraviolet N/A No Fair 4 Not
Light known

Nazaroff and Alvarez-Cohen. Environmental Engineering Science 2001 p.321

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 Take Home Message

o Disinfection is a powerful tool to control water-borne

diseases
o Ozonation is the most effective ozonation technique
o NOM and SS interfere disinfection process
o DBPs are the most staggering issue in disinfection
o Contact time and the residual dose is important to
evaluate performance