UV inactivation of bacteria in raw and pretreated liquid swine manure.

The study was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of ultraviolet (UV) irradiation for inactivating coliform bacterial indicators in liquid swine manure samples using a laboratory-scale, low-pressure UV collimated beam apparatus. Raw liquid swine manure was brought from the field and stored at 4 'C for preliminary settling for 24 hours, which was followed by alum treatment in a jar test apparatus. Both pre-settled and alum-treated supernatants were filtered separately through different pore-sized polycarbonate membrane filters. The unfiltered and filtered pre-settled and alum-treated supernatant samples were exposed to a range of UV fluences (i.e., doses) to determine the fluence-response relationship. After preliminary settling, alum treatment, and membrane filtration, UV absorbance values of undiluted swine manure samples at 254 nm varied between 4.0 and 4.2 cm(-1) with total suspended solids concentrations of 800 to 1,800 mg l(-1). Total coliforms were reduced by 2 - to 2.5-log10 at UV fluences of 80 to 100 mJ cm(-2). Relatively small log reductions (< 0.5-log10) were observed at lower fluences (below 20 mJ cm(-2) ) in undiluted manure samples. To reduce the UV absorbance of liquid swine manure, raw manure was diluted 1:50 and 1:10 with deionized water in subsequent experiments. Almost complete inactivation (> 4 to 5 log10) was achieved at UV fluences of 20 mJ cm(-2) or higher in the swine manure samples diluted to 1:50. Based on these findings, it was proposed that UV inactivation of coliform in the undiluted liquid swine manure was limited by association of bacterial cells with particulate matter of less than 10 microm in size. Dilution may have disrupted and reduced the association between the bacteria and this fine particulate matter resulting in better dispersion and more complete inactivation by UV.

Studies on the resistance/reactivation of Giardia muris cysts and Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts exposed to medium-pressure ultraviolet radiation.

The ex vivo and in vivo reactivation of Giardia muris cysts and Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts after exposure to different doses of ultraviolet (UV) radiation was determined using animal infectivity. The infectivity of UV-treated parasites stored for 1-4 days (G. muris) or 1-17 days (C. parvum) at room temperature in the dark was similar to that of organisms administered immediately after UV treatment, indicating that the parasites did not reactivate ex vivo. In contrast, we observed in vivo reactivation of G. muris in three of seven independent animal infectivity experiments, when parasites were treated with relatively low doses of medium-pressure UV (<25 mJ/cm(2)). Our observations indicate that G. muris cysts and C. parvum oocysts exposed to medium-pressure UV doses of 60 mJ/cm(2) or higher did not exhibit resistance to and/or reactivation following treatment. This suggests that when appropriate doses of UV are used, significant and permanent inactivation of these parasites may be achieved.

Inactivation of Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts using medium- and low-pressure ultraviolet radiation.

The effect of ultraviolet radiation from low- and medium-pressure mercury arc lamps on Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts was studied using a collimated beam apparatus. Experiments were conducted using parasites suspended in both filtered surface water and phosphate buffered laboratory water. Inactivation of oocysts was measured as reduction in infectivity using a CD-1 neonatal mouse model and was found to be a non-linear function of UV dose over the range of germicidal doses tested (0.8-119 mJ/cm2). Oocyst inactivation increased rapidly with UV dose at doses less than 25 mJ/cm2 with two and three log-units inactivation at approximately 10 and 25 mJ/cm2, respectively. The cause of significant leveling-off and tailing in the UV inactivation curve at higher doses was not determined. Maximum measured oocyst inactivation ranged from 3.4 to greater than 4.9 log-units and was dependent on different batches of parasites. Water type and temperature, the concentration of oocysts in the suspension, and the UV irradiance did not have significant impacts on oocyst inactivation. When compared on the basis of germicidal UV dose, the oocysts were equally sensitive to low- and medium-pressure UV radiation. With respect to Cryptosporidium, both low- and medium-pressure ultraviolet radiation are attractive alternatives to conventional chemical disinfection methods in drinking water treatment.

Kinetics of methanogenic degradation of phenol by activated-carbon-supported and granular biomass.

A continuous-feed recycle bioreactor was used to study the kinetics of methanogenic degradation of phenol at 35 degrees C by bacteria supported on a bed of granular activated carbon (GAC). At dilution rates well above the growth rate of the culture, the cells not only populated the GAC, but also formed a layer of granular biomass. This layer was stabilized by the presence of the GAC, and accounted for over half of the phenol-degrading activity in the bioreactor. The specific phenol degradation rates for GAC-attached biomass, suspended biomass, and granular biomass were all in the range 0.15 to 0.22 mg phenol/mg volatile solids per day as measured under pseudo-steady-state conditions.