DISINFECTION OF E. coli CONTAMINATED WATER USING TUNGSTEN TRIOXIDE-BASED PHOTOELECTROCATALYSIS

2016 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 899-903 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donald E. Macphee ◽  
Efetobor Scott-Emuakpor ◽  
Graeme I. Paton ◽  
Malcolm J. Todd
Sensors ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (10) ◽  
pp. 3496 ◽  
Author(s):  
Casper Clausen ◽  
Maria Dimaki ◽  
Christian Bertelsen ◽  
Gustav Skands ◽  
Romen Rodriguez-Trujillo ◽  
...  

Monitoring of bacteria concentrations is of great importance in drinking water management. Continuous real-time monitoring enables better microbiological control of the water and helps prevent contaminated water from reaching the households. We have developed a microfluidic sensor with the potential to accurately assess bacteria levels in drinking water in real-time. Multi frequency electrical impedance spectroscopy is used to monitor a liquid sample, while it is continuously passed through the sensor. We investigate three aspects of this sensor: First we show that the sensor is able to differentiate Escherichia coli (Gram-negative) bacteria from solid particles (polystyrene beads) based on an electrical response in the high frequency phase and individually enumerate the two samples. Next, we demonstrate the sensor’s ability to measure the bacteria concentration by comparing the results to those obtained by the traditional CFU counting method. Last, we show the sensor’s potential to distinguish between different bacteria types by detecting different signatures for S. aureus and E. coli mixed in the same sample. Our investigations show that the sensor has the potential to be extremely effective at detecting sudden bacterial contaminations found in drinking water, and eventually also identify them.


2006 ◽  
Vol 69 (1) ◽  
pp. 6-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. SCOTT ◽  
P. McGEE ◽  
J. J. SHERIDAN ◽  
B. EARLEY ◽  
N. LEONARD

Escherichia coli O157:H7 is an important foodborne pathogen that can cause hemorrhagic colitis and hemolytic uremic syndrome. Cattle feces and fecally contaminated water are important in the transmission of this organism on the farm. In this study, the survival of E. coli O157:H7 in feces and water was compared following passage through the animal digestive tract or preparation in the laboratory. Feces were collected from steers before and after oral inoculation with a marked strain of E. coli O157:H7. Fecal samples collected before cattle inoculation were subsequently inoculated with the marked strain of E. coli O157:H7 prepared in the laboratory. Subsamples were taken from both animal and laboratory-inoculated feces to inoculate 5-liter volumes of water. E. coli O157:H7 in feces survived up to 97 days, and survival was not affected by the method used to prepare the inoculating strain. E. coli O157:H7 survived up to 109 days in water, and the bacteria collected from inoculated cattle were detected up to 10 weeks longer than the laboratory-prepared culture. This study suggests that pathogen survival in low-nutrient conditions may be enhanced by passage through the gastrointestinal tract.


2008 ◽  
Vol 71 (2) ◽  
pp. 252-256 ◽  
Author(s):  
JIN KYUNG KIM ◽  
MARK A. HARRISON

Ice can be used to chill romaine lettuce and maintain relative humidity during transportation. Escherichia coli O157:H7 may contaminate water used for ice. The objective of this study was to determine the potential for E. coli O157:H7 contamination of romaine lettuce from either ice contaminated with the pathogen or by transfer from lettuce surfaces via melting ice. In experiment 1, lettuce was spot inoculated with E. coli O157:H7 and chilled with ice prepared from uncontaminated tap water. In experiment 2, water inoculated with this pathogen was frozen and used to ice lettuce. Three heads of lettuce were stacked in each container and stored at 4 or 20°C. After the ice melted, E. coli O157:H7 attachment to and recovery from the lettuce leaves were determined. For experiment 1, the population of E. coli O157:H7 attached to inoculated sites averaged 3.8 and 5.5 CFU/cm2 at 4 and 20°C, respectively. Most of the uninoculated sites became contaminated with the pathogen due to ice melt. For experiment 2, 3.5 to 3.8 log CFU E. coli O157:H7 per cm2 was attached to the top leaf on the first head. After rinsing with chlorinated water (200 μg/ml), E. coli O157:H7 remained on the surface of the top head (1.8 to 2.0 log CFU/cm2). There was no difference in numbers of E. coli O157:H7 recovered from each sampling site at 4 and 20°C. Results show that E. coli O157:H7 can be transferred onto other produce layers in shipping containers from melted ice made of contaminated water and from contaminated to uncontaminated leaf surfaces.


2015 ◽  
Vol 78 (10) ◽  
pp. 1776-1784 ◽  
Author(s):  
MYLÈNE GÉNÉREUX ◽  
MARIE JO BRETON ◽  
JOHN MORRIS FAIRBROTHER ◽  
PHILIPPE FRAVALO ◽  
CAROLINE CÔTÉ

In 2011 and 2012, trials consisting of experimental plots were carried out to evaluate the presence of pathogenic (Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella) and prevalence of indicator (Escherichia coli) microorganisms in broccoli fertilized with liquid hog manure or mineral fertilizers and irrigated zero, one, or two times with E. coli–contaminated water. In 2011, results showed that E. coli contamination in broccoli heads was affected by the interval between irrigation and sampling (P = 0.0236), with a significant decrease between the first and third day following irrigation (P = 0.0064). In 2012, irrigation frequency significantly increased E. coli prevalence in broccoli samples (P = 0.0499). In 2012, E. coli counts in the soil were significantly influenced by the type of fertilizer applied, as plots receiving liquid hog manure showed higher bacterial counts (P = 0.0006). L. monocytogenes was recovered in one broccoli sample, but geno-serogrouping differentiated the isolate from those recovered in manure and irrigation water. The L. monocytogenes serogroup IIA, pulsotype 188 strain was found in six soil samples and in irrigation water applied 5 days before soil sampling. This study highlights the link between E. coli levels in irrigation water, irrigation frequency, and interval between irrigation and harvest on produce contamination. It also demonstrates that L. monocytogenes introduced into the soil following irrigation can persist for up to 5 days.


2010 ◽  
Vol 64 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fitria Rahmawati ◽  
Triana Kusumaningsih ◽  
Anita Hapsari ◽  
Aris Hastuti

AbstractTiO2 film was synthesized by means of the chemical bath deposition (CBD) method from TiCl4 as a precursor and surfactant cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) as a linking and assembling agent of the titanium hydroxide network on a graphite substrate. Ag and Cu were loaded on the TiO2 film by means of electrodeposition at various applied currents. Photoelectrochemical testing on the composite of Ag-TiO2/G and Cu-TiO2/G was used to define the composite for Escherichia coli-contaminated water disinfection. Disinfection efficiency and the rate of disinfection of E. coli-contaminated water with Ag-TiO2/G as a catalyst was higher than that observed for Cu-TiO2/G in all disinfection methods including photocatalysis (PC), electrocatalysis (EC), and photoelectrocatalysis (PEC). The highest rate constant was achieved by the PEC method using Ag-TiO2/G, k was 6.49 × 10−2 CFU mL−1 min−1. Effective disinfection times of 24 h (EDT24) and 48 h (EDT48) were achieved in all methods except the EC method using Cu-TiO2/G.


2020 ◽  
Vol 187 ◽  
pp. 04009
Author(s):  
Rocio G. Reyes Esteves ◽  
Charles P. Gerba ◽  
Donald C. Slack

The use of contaminated water to irrigate crops by surface, sprinkler, or conventional drip irrigation represents a significant public health concern due to the presence of multiple microbial pathogens associated with gastrointestinal disease. In this study, Escherichia coli and MS2 bacteriophage were used as microbial surrogates to evaluate the contamination of romaine lettuce (Lactuca sativa L. var. longifolia) using bottom watering pots simulating a subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) system in a greenhouse. The primary goal was to determine whether the exposure of lettuce plants to E. coli and MS2 would result in detectable levels of these microorganisms associated with the edible portions of plants. Plants were grown in bottom watering pots and were irrigated the last twelve days before harvesting with contaminated water containing E. coli and MS2 phage at 109 CFU/ml and 1011 PFU/ml, respectively. Harvested plants were processed to determine if E. coli or MS2 was associated with the plant surfaces or within the plant tissues. None of the samples was positive for either E. coli or MS2 bacteriophage, suggesting that subsurface irrigation systems effectively reduce the risk of produce-contamination with bacterial and viral pathogens.


Author(s):  
Jaroslav Lev ◽  
Libor Kalhotka ◽  
Michal Černý

The article describes an experimental study dealing with the possibility of nanotextile materials usa­ge for microbiologically contaminated water filtration. The aim of the study is to verify filtration ability of different nanotextile materials and evaluate the possibilities of practical usage. Good detention ability of these materials in the air filtration is the presumption for nanotextile to be used for bacteria filtration from a liquid. High nanotextile porosity with the nanotextile pores dimensions smaller than a bacteria size predicates the possibility of a successful usage of these materials. For the experiment were used materials made from electrospinning nanofibres under the label PA612, PUR1, PUR2 s PUR3 on the supporting unwoven textiles (viscose and PP). As a model simulation of the microbial contamination, bacteria Escherichia coli was chosen. Contaminated water was filtered during the overpressure activity of 105Pa on the input side of the filter from the mentioned material. After three-day incubation on the nutrient medium, cultures found in the samples before and after filtration were compared. In the filtrated water, bacteria E. coli were indicated, which did not verify the theoretical presumptions about an absolut bacteria detention. However, used materials caught at least 94% of bacteria in case of material PUR1 and up to 99,996% in case of material PUR2. These results predict the possibility of producing effective nanotextile filters for microbiologically contaminated water filtration.Recommendation: For the production of materials with better filtrating qualities, experiments need to be done, enabling better understanding of the bacteria detention mechanisms on the nanotextile material, and parameters of the used materials that influence the filtrating abilities need to be verified.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-50
Author(s):  
Malavika J P ◽  
Shobana C

Solar disinfection (SODIS) is a technique, which involves utilization of solar energy to make safe drinking water from biologically contaminated water. In the conventional SODIS method, the PET bottles are filled with polluted water and exposed to the sunlight for a certain period depending upon the local weather conditions. However much more effective disinfection system is needed to overcome the problems of inefficient utilization of available solar energy and the health risk posed by treating the water using chemicals during the purification process.  Hence, the present work aims in designing a portable solar disinfection unit that can efficiently use solar energy by manually adjusting the unit according to sunlight availability. Along with it, incorporation of the additional eco-friendly unit with water purifying plants Vetiveria zizanioides (Vetiver) and Hemidesmus indicus (Nannari) is done to achieve high efficiency in producing potable water from biologically contaminated water. The contaminated water samples treated in the solar disinfection unit and eco-friendly water purifying unit are analyzed for the presence of total coliforms and E-coli by using the Most probable Number method and P/A analysis, respectively. A reduction in 99.74% of total coliform count and absence of E-coli was observed in the treated water samples.  The physicochemical analysis was carried out to ensure the suitability of treated water for consumption and the results revealed a notable reduction in the parameters, and all the parameters came under the permissible range of IS drinking water characteristics. The designed system can be used to disinfect the contaminated water sample most efficiently, thereby making the water suitable for consumption.


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