Apr 11, 2010

Disinfection of Wastewater


Disinfection
Primary, secondary and even tertiary treatment cannot by expected to remove 100 percent of the incoming waste load and as a result, many organisms still remain in the waste stream.  To prevent the spread of waterborne diseases and also to minimize public health problems, regulatory agencies may require the destruction of pathogenic organisms in wastewaters.  While most of these microorganisms are not pathogens, pathogens must be assumed to be potentially present.  Thus, whenever wastewater effluents are discharged to receiving waters which may be used for water supply, swimming or shellfishing, the reduction of bacterial numbers to minimize health hazards is a very desirable goal. 
Disinfection is treatment of the effluent for the destruction of all pathogens.  Another term that is sometimes also used in describing the destruction of microorganisms issterilization.  Sterilization is the destruction of all microorganisms.  While disinfection indicates the destruction of all disease causing microorganisms, no attempt is made in wastewater treatment to obtain sterilization.  However, disinfection procedures applied to wastewaters will result in a substantial reduction of all microbes so that bacterial numbers are reduced to a safe level. 
In general, disinfection can be achieved by any method that destroys pathogens.  A variety of physical or chemical methods are capable of destroying microorganisms under certain conditions.  Physical methods might include, for example, heating to boiling or incineration or irradiation with X-rays or ultraviolet rays.  Chemical methods might theoretically include the use of strong acids, alcohols, or a variety of oxidizing chemicals or surface active agents (such as special detergents).  However, the treatment of wastewaters for the destruction of pathogens demands the use of practical measures that can be used economically and efficiently at all times on large quantities of wastewaters which have been treated to various degrees. 
In the past, wastewater treatment practices have principally relied on the use of chlorine for disinfection.  The prevalent use of chlorine has come about because chlorine is an excellent disinfecting chemical and, until recently, has been available at a reasonable cost.  However, the rising cost of chlorine coupled with the fact that chlorine even at low concentrations is toxic to fish and other biota as well as the possibility that potentially harmful chlorinated hydrocarbons may be formed has made chlorination less favored as the disinfectant of choice in wastewater treatment.  As a result, the increased use of ozone (ozonation) or ultraviolet light as a disinfectant in the future is a distinct possibility in wastewater disinfection.  Both ozone and ultraviolet light, as well as being an effective disinfecting agent, leave no toxic residual.  Ozone will additionally raise the dissolved oxygen level of the water.  However, ozone must be generated and has only recently begun to compete favorably with chlorination in terms of economics.  Ultraviolet light has recently undergone studies to determine its effectiveness and cost when used at large wastewater treatment plants.  While the study is not yet complete, ultraviolet light now appears effective and economically competitive with chlorination as a disinfectant. 
The use of both chlorine and ozone as chemical disinfectants and their disinfecting properties and actions will be considered individually.  However, since chlorine continues to be used extensively as a disinfectant, we will mainly be concerned with the principles and practice of chlorination. 


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